Arabian Nights
by ElysseRavenRose12
Summary: Levy is the princess of the sandy kingdom of Fiore, though she is more of a prisoner since her uncle stole the throne, Levy has been chained to her bed with only her panther Lily and the servant Lucy as company but one night bandits attack one cutting her chain and breaking her out, but was she better staying where she was? Rated T. 6/13 story pic challenge. No set ship for Levy.
1. Chapter 1

**This is one of my challenge stories for 13 stories from 13 Fan-Art pics of Fairy Tail this number 6 of 13. Check out my account to read the other challenge stories if you want.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing not the characters or the picture, only the imagination for this story.**

* * *

In the sandy kingdom of Fiore, in a palace room the princess Levy sat on her bed looking out her window, she was dressed in her favourite pink dress a lot of her skin showing as a relief from the sun, it got very hot during the day and even at night, her pet panther Lily lay at the end of her bed, he was pure black except from a scar around one of his eyes, he got that before Levy found him and brought him home, back when Levy's parents where alive, her mother passed from sickness when Levy was ten but her father died when she was fifteen at her uncles hand. Levy had instantly been locked in her room where she had been trapped for the past two years since her uncle had taken over the throne, she was only let out under heavy guard and only to the gardens, she had one servant who came in bringing her food and cleaning her room daily, the servant became her best friend Lucy, a blonde girl always in a blue dress. Her uncle almost took Lily away too but she begged him not to, knowing Lily had never hurt or attacked anyone he allowed it figuring Lily was too tame. Her uncle however was still not satisfied with her imprisonment and had her chained by her left ankle to her bed, she could walk around her room but she couldn't leave unless it was unlocked and only her uncle had the key.

Lucy knocked on her door as she always did.

"Enter" Levy said she had told Lucy she didn't need to knock she was a prisoner after all but Lucy never listened and always reminded her no matter what she was the princess a princess her uncle had plans for she just wasn't sure what.

"Good evening Princess Levy"

"Good evening Lucy, you know you can call me Levy"

"I know Princess but I won't" she says with a smile bringing lunch in with her, placing it on her bed, Levy picks at a sandwich, giving some to Lily who had woke up to the smell of food, Lucy patted him and got to work cleaning, not that Levy ever made a mess but she neatened her book case overflowing with books, picked up dirty laundry and mopped the floor.

"Anything new happen Princess?" Lucy asked.

"No, I finished another book I'm going to need more"

"I'll take some and bring some back tonight okay?"

"Thank you Lucy" Levy says with a smile and looks back out the window, Lucy wanted nothing more than to grab Princess Levy and tell her not to worry she would get out of this she would swear it but instead she takes the tray, piles books up on top and exits the Princess's room, almost walking into the Sultan, Lucy quickly curtsies as low as she can to him.

"Continue" he says absently obviously about to enter the princesses room, Lucy has no choice but to hurry away, praying for the princesses safety.

* * *

 **Review what you think, and stay tuned for more!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for reviewing and the huge number of people following my story, enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

Without knocking her uncle entered, Levy turned to him, and quickly got off her bed and stood, he hadn't visited her in a long time, she was nervous as to what he wanted.

"Most of my subjects bow or curtsy to me" her uncle says, Levy swallowed her pride and curtsied to him, to which he smiled pleased.

"Ah Levy you've grown into a beautiful young woman" Levy having never heard such praise from him, didn't know what to do so she kept her head down.

"You'll make a pleasing wife" to that she looks up, he grins.

"Yes I've decide you should be married to a very rich man, who will pay quiet handsomely for you, especially once he sees you" Levy looked back at the ground trying to hold her resolve, she knew this would happen it was the only logical explanation to why her uncle kept her alive.

"He'll be arriving in three days, then you'll be his problem"

"Yes uncle" was her reply, he nodded pleased she would not be difficult.

"Good I'll leave you then, with pet and your books" he sneers turning and leaves with his personal guard, the door shuts behind him and Levy climbs back on her bed and leans against the wall, the sun shone through the window, there was no breeze though, Lily sensing her distress nudged her and she rubbed his ears.

"It'll be okay Lily" she says but she knew that was a lie she was being sold to man she didn't know, would be forced to marry him, bare his children, Lily would probably not be allowed to stay with her and she would never see Lucy again, unable to keep her emotions in check Levy curled her legs to her and sobbed.

Levy couldn't even touch her food when Lucy brought it, she emotionlessly told her what was going to happen to Lucy's horror, she breaking protocol hugged Levy as hard as she could and Levy tried not to cry as she hugged her back. That night in the dark Levy still stared out the window at the cold night's air she inhaled wishing she was out there under the stars, the full moon shone and she embraced its light, eventually crawling under a sheet she closed her eyes and slept.

Lucy raced out of the palace as fast as she could without looking suspicious, once she was on the street she bolted all the way to her boyfriend's bar which was just out of town she knocked on the door out of breath, Natsu opened it letting her in closing it after her everyone was there, they stopped talking when they saw her and she took the time to catch her breath.

"We need to move tonight, the sultan is selling the princess off to a rich man, he arrives in two days, we need to get her out now!" she tells them Natsu's eyes harden and nods, turning to the others.

"We've prepared for this" a red-haired woman says to them, Erza.

"We attack the palace tonight!" she announces. The bar cheers in acknowledgment, they knew what this meant and they were ready.

* * *

 **Check out the next chapter to see what happens, review your thoughts!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Next chapter is up enjoy!**

 **Okay so from a review I understand it's become confused that the names of characters I have on the summery (those four names you choose to help filter characters) mean that's who everyone will end up with no Lucy is dating Natsu, Levy has no set person, I am going to play around with her and the people around her so you will have no idea who she eventually will end up with, if any! I'm sorry if this has caused confusion because I know most people use the filter to show who is with who, I'm going to change it anyway so don't focus on it okay? Cool :)**

* * *

The bandits got over the walls like ghosts, taking out non-lethally every guard they came across. They were spread out in teams of four, most charged with taking out the guards others with keeping watch, one particular team however was going deeper in to take the princess. Each team was named Team Natsu consisted of Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Erza, Nastu was an expert fire dancer, which doubled as his front as a bar owner and fighter. Lucy wasn't much of a fighter since she was a servant from the castle but she carried a whip and she could use it, Gray was a sword fighter, as was Erza except she was something else she could fight harder and for longer than most men, she was a specialist in all weapons. Their job was the guard tower, they needed to knock out everyone inside and stop the alarm from being raised, which would result in most of them dying should they fail.

Team Shadow Gear Juvia a mostly quiet girl and her team mates Jet a very fast runner, Droy the look out and Gajeel a forge master and fighter, their job was the south gate the exit strategy for all of them, they had to take out the guards and keep the exit open. Another team consisted of Warren, Max, Laki and Nab, they kept watch on the west wall, which they scaled, they kept eyes on everything ready to signal at the first sight of danger, unfortunately this made them very exposed, but it was their job. The final group was the Thunder Tribe Bixlow was a potions expert and with smoke concoctions of his own design he could keep them hidden, Evergreen was a fan fighting force, she fought with fans and could deflect blades with ease. Freed was more of history scholar but he was also a fighter, he greatly believed in honourable death and finally Laxus like Erza was an expert fighter, he also had the muscle and the brains to get the job done, their team would be the one to steal the Princess. Once their objective was complete they would leave this town back home to where their leader was and the last team, Mira a bit of a mother hen to the bandits however a deadly swordswomen, Elfman her brother another fighter, Lisanna their sister and Kinana.

There were others in their band of bandits such as Mavis, Hibiki, Ren, Eve, Sherry, Yukino, Wendy, Romeo, Happy and Carla. Happy and Carla were actually animals they had adopted, Happy was a golden tiger who was going to be killed for his fur, Natsu saved him and looked after him since and Carla was a white lioness very rare also very coveted for her fur Wendy looked after her back at the base. Laxus looked to his team and nodded they jumped from the wall landing lightly on their feet and raced into the palace.

* * *

 **I know this is more of an informative chapter about the bandits plan but I have my reasons I wanted to show what was happening from an outsiders 'god' perspective, next chapter really soon to make up for it okay?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Next chapter enjoy.**

* * *

Lily woke Levy in the middle of the night nudging her, she pushed him away sleepily at first but he kept nudging her.

"What is it Lily?" she asked, Lily growled jumping over her to the window then back off the bed to the door, Levy yawned sitting up. _Maybe Lily is hungry_ , Levy thinks standing she didn't have any meat in the room but she had some grapes, Lily liked grapes, she went over to her dresser were Lucy had left a bowl of fruit including grapes for her, she picked some and held them out to Lily.

"Here you go, do you want some grapes?" she asks Lily growls back at the door and jumps back over to the window and growls again, _what was with him?_

Levy heard something fall outside, it wasn't noisy but she walked closer her chain rattling she heard very light footsteps, _was someone outside?_ Lily stood in front of her and growled as her door was kicked open, she almost screamed but Lily knelt down growling protecting her, the intruder seeing this was about to attack.

"No!" she yelled throwing the grapes in her hand at the attacker and throwing herself over Lily to protect him.

"Please don't hurt Lily!" she begged, the man she could see from the light of the moon streaming through her window.

"I have no need to hurt the cat princess" the man says and suddenly kneels to her, Lily lets up his protective stance.

"My name is Laxus, Princess I am a member of the bandit band Fairy Tail we oppose your uncle and all he has done to this kingdom"

"What do you want?" Levy asks finding her voice, he looks up to her eyes.

"To take you away before you can be sold off you are the princess of Fiore and to many, the rightful Queen" Levy didn't know what to say trapped in the beautiful man's eyes, no man had been anywhere near her except the guards who's faces were wrapped in hiding, in years except her uncle and all were threatened with castration should they as much brush against her.

Levy didn't know what to do, she didn't want to be married to the rich stranger but she was also terrified to leave, she'd been a resident of these walls her entire life, she had never so much as left the town, she didn't know what was out there and she didn't know if she could trust this bandits words, she read a lot she knew bandits where supposed to be bad, but maybe he was like Robin Hood a friendly bandit that did good against evil.

"I can't leave, I'm chained" she says looking to her ankle, he too sees her chain glinting in the light, his eyes narrowed.

"How long are you chained up?" he asked.

"Always, for two years" she says, he almost growls but instead stands, Levy holds one arm over Lily to keep him with her, three others suddenly enter the room and Levy moves back on the ground.

"It's alright Princess these are my teammates, Freed, Bixlow and Evergreen"

"Princess" a green haired man bows, Levy assumed him to be Freed, Bixlow also bowed he was wearing armour a strange thing in the desert capital and Evergreen was wearing a tight green corset and short skirts, with lace shoes around her legs, she curtsied to Levy.

"Princess" she said respectively, Levy stands, Lily beside her.

"My uncle is the only one with the key, I can't leave" she tells Laxus.

"We don't have time" Bixlow says softly, Laxus nods.

"Sorry princess we'll get the chain off later but for now I'm going to cut it alright?"

"My leg?!" she asked astonished.

"No Princess the chain link" Laxus says with a soft smile, pulling out a very large sword, Lily growled a little.

"Shh" Levy soothed him.

"It's alright Lily" she told him Lily sat watching, Laxus was aiming for just beside her.

"Don't move Princess" he says she nods and he swings, the sword cutting straight through the chain into the floor, Levy moves away even though she was still had a chain around her ankle she felt freer than she had in years, she couldn't help smiling and almost crying in relief.

"We need to go now, longer we're here the longer we're likely to be caught" Evergreen says.

"Lily comes with me" Levy says leaving no room for argument, Laxus almost rolled his eyes but at least she wasn't demanding clothes or jewels or something ridiculous just her pet, and obvious friend.

"Alright, Bixlow you carry the cat" Laxus orders.

"Ah, is he going to eat me?" Bixlow asks.

"No, he's never hurt anyone" Levy assures him, patting Lily behind his ears.

"Be good to Mr Bixlow" Levy tells him, Lily rubs his head in her hand and pads over to Bixlow, suddenly an alarm sounds.

"Damnit Natsu that brat! Can't do anything right!" Laxus swears, Levy was about to say something when Laxus steps over to her picks her up and slings her over his shoulder, his arm holding her legs.

"Forgive me Princess but we need to leave" he says walking over to her window and looking down.

"We're going to jump" he says climbing up, Levy keeps her head down knowing better than them the width and height of the window.

"You do know we are two hundred feet up?" Levy inquires, she can hear Laxus's smile in his voice.

"Don't fear Princess we know what we're doing"

"Oh reallyyyyyyyy…" the rest of her sentence is pulled away as the man jumped from the palace window.

* * *

 **I hope everyone is still enjoying this, review how you feel!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to everyone w** **ho has reviewed and to everyone following and reading my story.**

* * *

Laxus using his feet and some posts on the walls of the tower managed to make them land without breaking anything, Levy by this point was digging into his shirt out of fear.

"Oh gosh are we dead?" Levy asks.

"Not anytime soon" Laxus promises as Freed and Evergreen drop beside them, Bixlow last being careful with Lily.

"Jeez the panther is heavy" Bixlow says out of breath, putting Lily down who goes up to Levy sniffing her.

"I'm okay Lily" she says trying to look over Laxus's shoulders. The group starting running toward the west gate just before they got there they met up with four people who started running with them.

"You better have a damn good reason for the alarm going off" Laxus says.

"We missed one blame me" a red haired girl said as they kept running.

"Princess are you alright?" another asked Levy knew that voice.

"Lucy?" she asked seeing her friend, Lily running next to her.

"Yeah don't worry everything will be fine" she says as they keep running, Levy looks up seeing people coming.

"Um I think more guards are coming" she says.

"She's not wrong" a shirtless man says looking over his shoulder.

"Let's go!" a new person yells from in front of Laxus they escape out the sould gate four new people running with them.

"Will we make it to the camels?" someone asks, Levy can't keep her head up and has to resign herself to Laxus's shoulder, it was starting to hurt being carried like this but honestly she didn't care, she was out, she was terrified but Lily was with her, Lucy was here somehow as well, she'd be okay, she had to be.

Levy lost track of how long it took but eventually they came to a herd of camels and Laxus set her down, to which Levy instantly fell unable to stand, Lucy caught her.

"Oh sorry Princess" Lucy said, helping her up Levy holding her stomach.

"It's okay" she says smiling holding Lucy's shoulders.

"You're actually here" Levy says.

"Yeah" Lucy says nodding with a smile.

"This is actually happening"

"Yeah"

"I'm not chained"

"You're half right" Laxus says.

"He's going to kill me" Levy breathes going into panic mode.

"No! No, he is not he is never getting near you again okay?" Lucy says Levy wasn't sure but she accepted the help onto a camel, the shirtless man got in front of her and she held on to him as they started off, at a trot.

"I'm Gray by the way Princess" the man says.

"Nice to meet you Gray" she says as she holds on, Lucy keeps her camel with them a pink haired man behind her.

"Hey Princess meet my boyfriend Natsu" she calls indicating her head over to the man behind her.

"Ah I've heard of you" Levy says the man swallows.

"How bad?" he asks worried Levy laughs.

"Something about a clumsy, silly, sometimes idiotic guy that took a very long time to ask her out so she waited a while to answer so he would sweat"

"I knew you did that on purpose!" Nastu accuses Lucy who just shrugs and laughs.

"You so deserved it!" she answers, Levy laughs but suddenly remembers Lily.

"Wait what about Lily?" she tries to look behind her.

"Don't worry Princess, Bixlow still has him" Laxus says, Levy has to trust him and nods, holding onto Gray properly again as they race through the desert sands.

* * *

 **Review your thoughts and follow for more!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm glad people are enjoying my story it matters a lot to a writer.**

* * *

Levy honestly thought there was a cave or something when she saw they were headed for a huge mountain in the middle of the desert but she couldn't see anything and they didn't stop, they were still pushing the camels at a gallop and she was about to say something about them running into a rock wall when Laxus at the head of the pack yelled.

"Open Sesame" the rock wall suddenly lifted showing a cave which they thundered inside, she heard it close quickly behind them.

Gray suddenly pulled them into a stop and jumped off, he held his hand out to Levy, she took it swinging her leg around, he then held her waist to help her down, considering how short she was, she needed the help. Levy took Lucy's hand as a bit of comfort, Lily coming over to her as soon as Bixlow put him down, he curled his way around her and Lucy, Lucy used to this didn't mind, however the others were a little more nervous after all dangerous or not Lily was still a panther and with the scar on his eye he looked dangerous.

"Lucy?" Levy pulled her friend to a stop.

"Do you trust these people?"

"Yes, I do, they are all good people Princess I promise you, Gramps, our leader is just through there" she says pointing to a door, the others had stopped giving them space, Levy had to appreciate that.

"And he will explain everything" Levy rubs her arm Lily nudging her leg.

"Okay" she whispers and holding her head up she follows Lucy through the doors.

The door they entered revealed a large room, like an underground bar, Levy could only imagine since she had never actually seen a bar, at the other end of the room sitting on a table crossed legged was a small old man, he looked up to Lucy, Levy and the others approaching and everyone sitting at the tables stared at them as they walked by mainly Levy. Levy wasn't sure if it was because she was the Princess or because of what she was wearing, maybe she looked really bad, she did drop out of a high window, was carried by a man and travelled unceremoniously on a camel through the desert. She also hadn't been around so many people in…more than two years, what was left of her chain trailed with her on the ground, she wasn't wearing shoes or had ever in the past years, she stopped in front of the man, very much aware of the others fanning out behind her some sitting, others just standing, someone had closed the door.

"Princess Levy, it's an honour to meet you" the man said while still seated bowing to her.

"It's nice to meet you to Mr?"

"My name is Makarov, you can call me that or Gramps like everyone else does, I can imagine you are probably concerned right now, let me assure you, you need not be you are among friends I give you my word"

"Very well then, Makarov why have you brought me here?" the old man smiles.

"You're intelligent like your father, he was a good man, yes I knew him, we were friends I couldn't imagine his own brother killing him, I'm sorry I failed in predicting that"

"No one could have known" Levy says, Makarov nods thoughtfully.

"Anyway since your uncle claimed the throne the kingdom has fallen into disrepair, he taxes the poor to hell, and profits even more off their suffering, you couldn't have known this of course, from what Lucy has told me you are barely let out of your room at all"

"Once a week sometimes once a fortnight" Levy says, Gramps shakes his head.

"I can see from your leg he also kept you chained" Levy unconsciously looked down at her ankle the chain still secured around, the chain link moved when she did making a slight scrapping noise.

"Gajeel do you think you can take that off?" one man came forward he was covered in piercings unlike Levy had ever seen, Lily who had decided to lie down didn't even sniff him when he came over, Gajeel knelt down to inspect it.

"Hmm, shouldn't be too much of a problem" he says gruffly, pulling out a few tools and sitting down.

"May I Princess?" he asks her Levy looks to him, he was a bit of a scary man very different from Laxus but still he in his own way was beautiful, especially unique he even had piercings for eyebrows.

"Yes?" she says a little unsurely he carefully lifts her chained foot to rest on his thigh so he could see properly and work at it, he started messing with the lock.

"May I ask what it is you hope to accomplish by freeing me?" Levy asks.

"A fair enough question Princess, for one no one not even royally should be forced into marriage, two I owe it to your father to help you I am sorry it took so long for us to free you but we needed information from the inside, Lucy who had been working there before your father was killed was able to get us detailed schematics of the palace and guard rosters this was a very meticulous plan, in order to avoid casualties, both for ourselves and the poor souls working at the palace and thankfully we have succeeded, not one person was killed in the infiltration and extraction"

"That's good" Levy agrees.

"I'd thought you'd say so, but thirdly we hope with you we can help start unrest in the kingdom, for the princess to be taken shows lapses in palace security, you yourself are now a threat to him"

"How so?" she asks as Gajeel clicks one of his tools and the cuffed chain falls off her ankle, a red mark is now visible around her ankle but Levy doesn't care, she stands on it finally un-cuffed she smiles to Lucy who smiles back and returns listening to Gramps.

"You are the Princess Levy, rightful heir to the throne of Fiore, people will follow you given the choices but more than that, if you could prove yourself to be a worthy ruler the entire kingdom could unite behind you, that is what I want, a new age, a better one for us all" Levy looks into the eyes of this man and wonders what had those eyes seen over his years? A lot she would wager, but how could this man with no doubt much wisdom think she would be fit to rule all of Fiore?

"I'm sorry Gramps but I'm not worthy, I have no power, no people, no wealth, no home, I have nothing of worth" Gramps gave a slight smile a spark in his eye.

"You may be surprised Princess, you are far more worthy than you think"

* * *

 **So this one went a little longer I couldn't find a way to end it in the middle of the conversation so I waited until the end, review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for everything guys enjoy!**

* * *

The sultan fumed listening to excuses after excuses of how the princess was allowed to escape, or kidnapped it didn't matter, _when he got his hands on her!_ He crushed a hazelnut in his fist, causing whoever was talking to jump scared, as they should be!

"My lord!" a guard by the door called.

"What now?!" he demanded.

"My lord, the um delegation from the Ivory City has arrived"

"What?! They're not meant to arrive until tomorrow!" he yelled getting off the throne and storming down the hall.

"They said the weather favoured them"

"Yeah right" he spat the doors were opened for him, he came across the party in the lobby looking around at the golden statutes.

"Lords, you are quite early" the sultan says, the five men turn to him.

"Your majesty" they all bowed.

"Apologies for that, I had hoped to get to meet you and the Princess a little early" one man says stepping forward.

"My name is Zeref, here are my friends, Lord Sting, Lord Rouge and my bodyguards Zancrow and Cobra"

"Yes I had heard the three of you would be deciding among yourself which of you would be marrying my niece, you could all afford it"

"You have our finances well understood then"

"Of course I do I am the sultan" Zeref lets on a slight smile.

"Indeed, anyway would it be possible for us to meet the infamous Princess Levy?"

"Normally I would say yes, however we had a break in last night and the princess was kidnapped"

"What?!" Sting exclaimed.

"I know as you may expect it was a large shock to me, that mere bandits could come close and take something so dear to me" Cobra narrowed his eyes slightly sensing a lie in what he said but it went unnoticed by the sultan.

"Then we must aid in the safe return of the Princess, not only as prospects of future husbands but citizens of Fiore, it is our duty" Zeref says with a bow.

"Well said, Lord Zeref your aid will be most welcome" the sultan heads back to the throne room, Zeref steps closer to his party.

"I don't trust the sultan" Rouge says quietly as to not be overheard

"You shouldn't he was lying about his concern for the Princess but he was honest when he said she was kidnapped"

"So it isn't just a ploy to get more money?" Sting wonders.

"He probably will use the situation to his advantage, if he didn't I would be surprised" Zancrow says keeping his eyes around them.

"What's your plan?" Cobra asks Zeref.

"We find the bandits, return the Princess and procced as we planned"

"Do I really have to be considered for marrying her?" Sting asks.

"Yes Sting you do, I've heard she's beautiful" Zeref says.

"That's what they says about every princess"

"True, but this time you never know"

"Whatever let's just get on with it, I hate this city to much sand"

"Compared to ours where there is just rock and marble" Rouge says blandly.

"Yep" Sting answers, his best friend Rouge rolls his eyes and they move on following in the direction of the sultan.

* * *

 **So now you meet the newcomers are they friend or foe?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Jeez I'm actually on chapter 8 that is surprising to me, but I'm so happy people are loving this, I'm enjoying writing it and you are enjoying reading it everyone's happy except the sultan but we don't care about him! Haha onwards!**

* * *

The Sultan stood with Zeref, Sting and Rouge around a table being used to hold a map of his kingdom, they had circled how far the bandits could have gotten with the princess, they crossed out places they wouldn't dare go, and the ports which were closed, but it still it was a large area, Zancrow and Cobra stood just behind Sting and Rouge.

"I've called in someone who I know will be able to track them" the Sultan tells them.

"Who?" Sting asks.

"Us" a voice says, they all turned to the two men who had entered, they walked over.

"You made good time" the Sultan praises with a smile.

"Of course my lord" the man bows along with the other man beside him.

"And who are you?" Zeref asks.

"Let me introduce myself I am Jellal, this is my partner Lyon, we are very good at what we do, fear not we will discover where these bandits have taken the princess and return her safely"

"They will probably ransom her, why not wait until then?" Rouge asks.

"We don't believe these bandit will do this they are called Fairy Tail, I've come across them before, once, they are very idealistic, they will not give up the princess peacefully"

"Then what do they want?" Sting asks.

"Honestly?" Jellal asks, the four men nod.

"I would say they want to use her to take over the throne"

"Should they dare I will kill them all!" the Sultan yells.

"Of course my lord don't worry we shall safety return the princess"

"I want this Fairy Tail destroyed" the Sultan says.

"If that is what you wish, it shall be done" Jellal assures him.

"Take Lords Zeref, Sting and Rouge with you, I want them there to help"

"Alright but we can't protect you during the fighting" Lyon warns.

"We don't need protection" Sting assures him, indicating over his shoulder to Cobra and Zancrow.

"Very well, then let's get started" Jellal says.

* * *

Levy didn't want to be put in a room where the door would be closed, she would still be trapped if she was, it was very late and despite the upbeat emotion of the large group everyone was tired. Lucy offered to sleep with her but Natsu's undisguised crestfallen look made Levy say she would be fine, Lily would be with her after all, so Levy sat on a rather nice bed, obviously bought for her, in her own room. It wasn't as large as hers at the palace but large none the less, there was no window since they were inside a mountain or rock formation whatever it was, her door was simple wood with an iron handle with no lock, that made her both happy but nervous. Levy walked over to the door and opened it, it made a slight sound from the hinges but besides that nothing hindered its opening, Levy left it open and went back to sit on the bed, staring out the open door. She really didn't know what to do with herself, there was a few books in a bookcase, Lucy must have gotten them for her, but beside that there was a small vanity and wardrobe with no clothes. Lucy said she would be bringing in clothes for her tomorrow, Levy was much smaller than the other girls so she couldn't even borrow clothes, Levy had never borrowed clothes anyway. She sighed and she heard someone walk quickly towards her room, Laxus looked into the room, seeing her there he looks surprised.

"Are you alright Princess?" he asks her.

"Yes" she answers.

"May I ask why the door is open?"

"You don't need to ask me permission"

"Sorry Princess"

"Please don't apologise and please just call me Levy" Laxus's mouth twitches.

"And to answer your question, it's because I'm so used to staring at a closed door I just wanted this one to be open"

"Far enough" he says with a nod, he stands there silently and Levy doesn't mind as she looks out the open door, there was only the wall of the corridor there but she still stared.

"You're not what I expected a princess to be" Laxus admits.

"I mean Lucy told us you were different, but I don't think anyone quiet understood how you were different"

"You mean most princesses aren't prisoners?" she jests, he smiles.

"I mean most princesses care about their title, they care about their hair, their appearance, and they care how people act around them, they wouldn't care about an open door"

"I guess I'm not most princesses then" she says.

"Most certainly not, you are probably far kinder too"

"My mother once told me, it takes courage to be kind and I always wanted to aspire to that"

"You've succeed, you've held yourself really well, taken all new situations in your stride, the only time I've seen you panic is when you thought I would harm Lily"

"You would have!"

"Only if he attacked me or hindered me from taking you" Levy folds her arms.

"Lily is harmless, he has never so much as swiped a paw at someone"

"I can see that now" he says looking at Lily who had taken his spot at the end of Levy's bed, just like at home, _no!_ Levy told herself, _that place was not home not after everything…_

Levy unfolds her arms.

"Are you okay?" Laxus asks sensing her mood.

"I just realised, my home hasn't been my home in a long time, I guess I don't really have one anymore"

"That's not true, here can be your home for now, until you can return to the palace"

"I don't think I want to return to the palace" Levy says honestly, Laxus is thoughtful for a moment.

"Then build your own" he states.

"What?" she asks rather unprincess-like

"Build your own palace, you are the princess, you can have a palace where ever you want, pick a spot it will be done" Levy stares at him in surprise realising with a jolt, she actually could. Not right now she didn't have any money, but she was the princess and maybe, just maybe she could be queen and she could have her own palace built, a place she could call home.

"That…sounds nice" she admits, Laxus smiles.

"Get some sleep Princess, dream of your own palace" Levy smiles deciding not to correct him she lays down, pulling a sheet over her, Laxus thinks about shutting the door but decides against it, instead he walks out leaving her to her dreams.

* * *

 **I think everyone thinks at some point in their life on what they consider home and make it their own, I wanted this for Levy, her identity's been stripped from her and she doesn't know where she belongs, she feels powerless and unsure, and now hunters Jellal and Lyon are on her case so Follow for more chapters! Review what you thought.**

 **Also I won't be able to keep posing everyday it's a really busy week this week I'm doing so much stuff you wouldn't believe, I actually don't think I've ever had such a busy week planned and its only Tuesday! (Australia)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome back read on to enjoy the story, you can read my rant or just jump to the story, I feel like ranting right now.**

 **Okay so last week was my one week off for the so called middle of the semester break (Week 9 out of 14 weeks?) and I went home to see my mum, my boyfriend surprised me by showing up for a couple of days which was nice (he bought me flowers), I came back on Friday spent the evening with my boyfriend, he had work the next day but I stayed over at his for that night (Saturday) because he had a bike race on the next day and he wanted me to come too with his dad. So I did it was more fun than I expected even though I was just there for support and water. That was all in the morning I then had all of the afternoon to myself, which I should of used to do the assignment I had due the next day but noooo I was writing fanfic all afternoon for you guys (*slow clap*). So yeah then it was Monday I had uni at 10am for an hour then a three hour break (assignment due at 5pm) I procrastinated for another half hour before starting, it took an hour and a half to do the 800 word assignment and then I went and got myself chips from the new café on campus. I then went to class for another hour, then I went to the gym for half an hour (I did 8 kms on the cycle thing) and travelled on my way home except I realised I needed to buy food since all I had was smoked salmon in the fridge, so I went shopping, I was almost home when my boyfriend calls, tells me he'll be at mine later (I end up cooking him dinner) so at mine while cooking dinner (he is actually a chef so he was helping) he asked if I wanted to go to the thing in Sydney on Wednesday and I said sure so he called his friend and he's going too. But I have a lot to do this week and now I've agreed to go to an event in Sydney! So he leaves a few hours later and I sleep, wake up in the morning remembering I need to get to uni before the deadline for a quiz we have to do, which is 11:30am but my gym clothes haven't dried, so I'm drying them on my heater, watching the clock before stuffing them in my bag and going to uni I make it to the library and do the quiz (I had read the wrong readings and had to skim read the actual one) I go to class hang with friends afterwards have another hour to write fanfiction, go to my next class, write more fanfiction and finally go to the gym again (I did 20 mins and 6kms) go home to prepare for tomorrow, where I have a class, immediately after a workshop to make up for another assignment (where I failed by 1 point) go to my next class, get on the train with another friend whose coming too, go to Sydney meet up with boyfriend, other friend, and another friend who's meeting us there. Thursday (hopefully still alive) go to uni for one lesson, go to gym where I have to do an hour of 'physical assessment' (Three hour break in-between) and then go home. Friday buy my mum a birthday present and other stuff she wants, drive home (over 2 hours) stay for the weekend and drive back on Sunday, to be ready for Uni on Monday. (*Sobs*)**

* * *

Lucy brought in a trunk filled with Levy's clothes, apparently she had stored them away for her, as soon as Levy had told her what had happened. They had been her dirty washing but Lucy had cleaned it, Levy picked out her blue outfit it was just like the one she had on only blue. Lucy pouted that she hadn't taken any jewellery but Levy didn't care, she didn't have much anyway and what she did she'd rather sell, her uncle had sold all her mother's jewellery so she had nothing of sentimental value.

Lucy went out to get a hair brush for Levy's hair, leaving her door open as she wished. Gajeel knocked on her door, she turned to him having just changed behind a changing stand Lucy had brought in and put in the corner.

"Good morning Gajeel" she says with an easy smile, he half smiles in response.

"I guess so, I wouldn't know I haven't been outside"

"Me neither but my first day in years without that cuff on, to me this is a good day"

"Fair enough, actually I brought you something" he says coming over and placing a small box on the vanity table, Levy picks it up and opens it, inside is a fine metal chain with one charm on it, the symbol wasn't something she recognised it looked kind of like a bird with an extra tail or something.

"Thank you it's beautiful" she says honestly, it was the first gift she had received in years, she couldn't accept gifts from Lucy as the princess so she had brought her books to work around it.

"It'll work as a bracelet or anklet, whichever you like" he says gruffly to brush off her praise.

"But I will tell you, I made it from your chain" Levy looks to him surprised and back to the anklet, it looked do delicate so unlike the chain it once was.

"How did you turn it into this?"

"It's kind of what I do" he says with a shrug, Levy smiles and gets up from the chair and hugs him, he awkwardly pats her back as she beams, letting him go, she unclips the clasp and puts it around her ankle the same one it used to chain, but not anymore.

"Are you sure you want to put it there?" he asks.

"Yes I am, thank you Gajeel I will treasure it"

"It's nothing" he says embarrassed.

"What is the symbol?" she asks.

"Oh that's the symbol for Fairy Tail, our band's name, to certain people they recognise it as a symbol of resistance, resilience and friendship"

"I like that" Levy says with a smile, Lucy comes back in with a brush.

"Oh Gajeel hello, I was just about to brush Levy's hair" Gajeel nods and steps back but Levy squeals in excitement.

"Lucy! You called me by my name!" she says happily rushing over to her friend and hugging her tightly.

"Oh I did!" Lucy realises face-palming herself but Levy was still hugging her and Lucy sighs in defeat.

"Alright, alright let me brush your hair" she says lightly pushing Levy back to the vanity and Gajeel takes his leave.

"Lucy look what Gajeel made for me" Levy says showing off her ankle, more importantly what was now on it

"Woah nice, Gajeel really is good with metal, he even made a little Fairy Tail symbol" Lucy sees.

"That might actually be a little dangerous" she says realising.

"What do you mean?" Levy asks confused.

"Well Fairy Tail is a resistance, if anyone outside of here saw it and recognised it…"

"I don't care!" Levy announces.

"Let them, I like Fairy Tail Lucy, you, Laxus, Gajeel, Gray, Gramps, Natsu and everyone else who I'm going to get to know, if I'm recognised as being affiliated with you so be it" she says, Lucy smiles lightly and starts brushing Levy's hair.

"Alright Princess" she accepts.

"Hey, call me Levy!" she reminds her, Lucy chuckles.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long rant at the beginning but hey, good chapter I hope, review and tell me next chapter up soon, more Fairy Tail members and the people after them!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Next chapter hurray I'm trying to write as much as possible while I can before writers block hits me.**

 **Thank you to the Guests who reviewed I'm excited too, loads more to come!**

 **Thank you Merylise, I always worry I don't start on the right foot I'm glad I have this time.**

 **I'm glad you like it Maviea, and I'm defiantly writing more.**

 **Don't worry Lunanight19 I will keep writing! :)**

 **Thank you to Ayame-Chiixo , I'm so glad my story isn't like anyone else's all my ideas are unique and I try to keep it that way in all my writing.**

 **Thank you Jellytaco I'm trying to make the chapters longer, and I'm glad the story isn't clichéd (though sometimes if the story is good enough I like clichéd).**

 **Thank you aries whiteram for reviewing yes I love conflicting readers, be prepared for more!**

* * *

Levy swallowed trying to muster up some courage, _remember what Lucy says, you are a princess_ Levy tries to tell herself _I am a princess, I am a princess, I can handle this_. She repeats to herself as she walks with Lucy to the hall, Laxus, Gramps, Natsu, Gray, the red haired woman Erza and Gajeel stood huddled around the bar, Lucy and Levy joined them walking past a few other members, Wendy a young doctor smiled and waved to them a white lioness sat next to the girl to Levy's surprise, she knew how rare such a creature was, even more surprising was the golden tiger beside the lioness eating a fish out of a bowl, a golden tiger and a white lioness?! Where in Fiore had they found them? Lily was also there seeming to get along with the two other cats, that made Levy happy.

"I see you've spotted Happy and Carla" Lucy says.

"Happy and Carla?"

"Yeah the tiger is Happy, Carla is the lioness"

"Who names a tiger Happy?"

"Who names a panther Lily?" Natsu says defensively from the other side of the room, Levy laughs as Gray punches Natsu in the arm, hard.

"I was nine" Levy says as she gets closer to the group.

"I was ten" Natsu says with a smirk wrapping one of his arms around Lucy to bring her closer.

"Wendy was like 7 or something" he continues thinking.

"Back to the issue a hand" Erza interrupts.

"Princess, we've learned that you're uncle has dispatched bounty hunters to find us, and collect you"

"Bounty hunters?"

"Yes Jellal and Lyon, their reputation is known, we came across them once and thankfully avoided a confrontation" Erza says.

"Okay what are you going to do?" Levy asks.

"Nothing just yet because they aren't all who are searching for you"

"Who else?"

"Lord Zeref, Lord Sting and Lord Rouge of the Ivory City arrived today and have joined with them, along with two body guards, Zancrow and Cobra"

"What do they want?" Levy asks.

"Well, um..." Erza suddenly stutters.

"They were your suitors" Lucy whispers to her, Levy makes an O shape with her mouth nodding in understanding.

"I only heard there was one, and they were meant to arrive tomorrow"

"They arrived early and it seems they were going to decide for themselves who married you, they all come from rich families so they could pay whatever the sultan asked"

"So I was literally being sold?" Levy realises.

"Yes" Gray says apologetically.

"May I ask how you know this?" Levy asked curiously.

"We have a spy at the palace still, he is keeping us informed, we were just discussing if it would be prudent to pull him out or keep him there, on one side keeping track of the sultans movements may be imperative but we may also need him to track the bounty hunters" Gramps explains.

"What do you think Princess Levy?" he asks her, Levy almost blanched as all eyes fell on her waiting, expecting a response, Levy looked down at the table, the map they had and the pieces they were using to express pieces in their actions. _Like a game,_ Levy thought thinking back on all the books she had read about making plans and out-manoeuvring opponents, she would need to learn how to do this.

"I think you should leave him there for now, if something goes wrong, or new information goes through the palace it would be best if he could obtain it, we know who is looking for us now, Erza says she knows the bounty hunters if not only by reputation that must give some kind of hint of how they work and if these Lords and their body guards are working with them, they are probably following their movements, so they shouldn't be too hard to track" Gramps smiled at the blunette while the others tried to hide their surprise at how logical she was, understanding the situation so well, Lucy beamed proudly.

"You're right Princess, I believe I could track the bounty hunters movements from the palace to where they would start to follow us" Erza says.

"Who do you need?" is all Gramps inquires.

"Mira, Yukino, Hibiki and Jet" Erza says after a second of mentally flicking through their ranks.

"Interesting Choice" Laxus says.

"Mira is as good a fighter as I but she I also stealthy, Yukino is our best bet in up-close tracking she wouldn't be noticed, Hibiki is a walking Abacus and can calculate calculus in his sleep he can keep track and re-calculate their movements given the right variables and Jet is our fastest runner, rider and fast talker should things go sideways"

"As always you think about this far more than anyone else, I shouldn't have asked" Laxus says shaking his head.

"What about Mavis?" Natsu asks.

"She should stay, we don't want to take all out tacticians with us and she is the best" Erza says easily.

"Of course" Natsu says nodding.

"Never doubt Erza she's always five steps ahead and ready for every possible move you can make before you take a step" Lucy whispers to Levy, Levy nods committing that to memory, _don't think you can out think Erza._

* * *

 **I really am enjoying playing with the Fairy Tail characters since they don't have magic I have to expand their ordinary talents. Sorry it's been a while I had my mum's birthday and I caught a cold but review what you've thought and look out for more Arabian Nights!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Be honest does anyone else start singing Arabian Nights from Aladdin in their head whenever they see the title for this fic? Because I do.**

* * *

"Hey Princess Levy right?" Levy turned to the brunette who addressed her, the girl smirked wearing short pants and a bikini top and carrying a barrel of something on one shoulder.

"Yes I'm Levy" she says the girl laughs.

"Hey I'm Cana, I just got back so I wasn't here for the all the action"

"Nice to meet you, where were you?" Levy asks.

"We were running very low on essentials" she says walking around to the other side of the bar to put the barrel down, a man walks in carrying two on his shoulders, he gives Levy a smile when he notices her.

"Oh hey so you're the Princess, Natsu said they got you out Wild huh"

"Um I guess?" Levy says confused as the man places the barrels down.

"Ignore my boyfriend he thinks he's cleaver" Cana says rolling her eyes and the man chuckles.

"Oh I know I am babe" he says with a wink.

"I'm Bacchus by the way, would you like a drink Princess?" he offers.

"Of what?" she asks.

"Wine of course" Cana laughs as a second man walks into the hall carrying three barrels as if to show off, Cana takes one from the older man so he doesn't drop them all.

"What's this about drinking?" the man asks.

"Just offering the Princess a drink" Bacchus says holding his hands up innocently, the man turns now seeing Levy sitting at the bar by herself.

"You're the Princess?"

"Yes"

"What are you doing here?" he asks confused, Cana face palms herself.

"They broke her out, remember? The plan?"

"Oh yeah, I might have been drunk" he says sheepishly Cana hits his arm.

"Idiot" she says.

"This is Gildarts Princess, my father"

"You called me father!" he says happily hugging Cana who just stands there waiting for him to let go, while Bacchus sips his just poured mug of wine to cover his laughter.

"Nice to meet you" Levy says with a smile.

"You too Princess, sorry we weren't there to get you, but at least now you've meet all the teams of Fairy Tail" Gildarts says.

"Yeah I noticed you're all in groups of four, except Gramps" Levy observes.

"It's so everyone can keep an eye on everyone" Bacchus explains.

"Natsu has Lucy, Gray and Erza, Laxus has Ever, Freed and Bixlow, Gajeel has Juvia, Jet and Droy, Mira has Elfman, Lisanna and Kinana, Wendy has Romeo, Yukino and Mavis, Hibiki has Ren, Eve and Sherry, Warren has, Max, Laki and Nab and Cana here has myself, Bacchus and our fourth member"

"Who's the fourth?" Levy asks.

"The spy from the palace" Lucy says suddenly coming up behind her.

"Nice to see you Cana, Gildarts, you too Bacchus" Bacchus waves since he's taking a gulp of wine.

"Did you get everything?" she asks.

"Yep" Cana says getting herself a drink.

"You didn't answer by the way Princess, do you want a drink?" Bacchus asks.

"No thank you" Levy says politely just as Lucy yells.

"Don't serve alcohol to the Princess!"

"Why not?" the four of them ask.

"Because" Lucy huffs folding her arms.

"She's not a prisoner anymore she can do what she likes" Cana reminds her.

"I know that!" Lucy says.

"Good" Cana says and she starts sculling her drink.

"Don't drink too much it's going to be dangerous to get supplies with bounty hunters after us" Lucy says.

"Bounty hunters?!" the three spit, Lucy sighs and starts explaining what was happening, Levy tuned out not wanting to hear how her uncle had got these people to come after her and her new friends.

She didn't know exactly what Fairy Tail's plan was for her or how she was supposed to become a worthy Princess but if these bounty hunters or the Lords found her it wouldn't matter, she'd be dragged back to the palace. Levy started to come up with an excuse to tell her uncle, but stopped immediately that was cowardly no matter what she said to her uncle, it wouldn't stop him from giving her to one of the Lords, whoever paid the most, it wouldn't protect her from his anger and it would never make him a better person. Levy needed to put away such selfish thoughts, she needed to protect the others, Lucy, Natsu, Cana, Gildarts, Bacchus, Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Laxus, Gramps everyone here who had risked their lives to break her chain and free her, she needed to protect them and the people of Fiore, Gramps said they were starving she needed to help them but she didn't know how and that made her feel extremely helpless.

* * *

 **Now you've meet the final team of Fairy Tail who is the fourth member? Read on and Follow to find out! Review your thoughts!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks Aries, sorry I can't help but leave cliff hangers but yes eventually *evil laugh* all will be revealed.**

 **Okay enough about the Fairy Tail gang for now let's go back to the bad boys.**

* * *

Sting was muttering curses wrapped up in a head piece to keep the sun off, it was boiling hot traveling on camels, following an imaginary trail led by Jellal and Lyon. Rouge was just behind Sting but he offered no complaint to their situation, his pet a desert fox Froshe lay sleeping in front of him, Sting's pet Lector a meerkat stared out into the distance observing everything. Zeref was just ahead of him following behind Lyon, his small pet a Thorny Devil lizard was on his shoulder, Zeref called him Acnologia he was an evil little lizard that loved to hide in your clothes so you would pick them up and get pricked by his spikes.

"We're stopping at the next town!" Jellal called behind him.

"Thank the gods" Sting groaned Lector looked to him then back out into the desert.

"Be patient Sting our time will come" Zeref says over his shoulder.

"Yeah" Sting grumbles looking over to Rouge who looks unfazed as usual, Cobra and Zancrow were further back Cobra looked bored and Zancrow was amusing himself by angering a scorpion he had picked up and put in a jar.

They made it to the next town by some miracle, Sting jumped down and stretched, letting the camel drink in a nearby trough, Rouge and Zeref did the same, Lector kept close to Sting as did Froshe who had woken up, Acnologia stayed on Zeref's shoulder as Cobra and Zancrow joined them.

"What did you discover?" Zeref asks Jellal and Lyon.

"We were told they escaped out the south gate, which is true they ran for several minutes to a herd of camels to escape into the desert, from there we can only calculate how far they could have gone, this town is one, its close too close to be a cleaver hiding spot however if anyone here has seen anyone from Fairy Tail we will know their base must be close"

"How will we know if someone from Fairy Tail has been here?" Cobra asks.

"This" Lyon says holding up a necklace with an odd symbol on it.

"What's that?" Rouge asks.

"Their symbol, anyone one with this is a member of Fairy Tail, however many people support Fairy Tail so be observant of liars, they'd sooner lie to us than tell us any truth when it comes to these bandits" Jellal says.

"Why is that?" Zancrow asks.

"Fairy Tail is much like an underdog, they look after people that are taxed to much or are hungry, for them to do something so bold is surprising however if they think it will help people which they must, they will"

"They're do-gooders" Zeref summarises.

"Indeed" Jellal accepts.

"Alright we'll split into three groups cover more ground and meet back in three hours to see what we get" Jellal decides.

"Very well Sting, Rouge you two team up, I'll go with Zancrow and Cobra"

"Right" Sting and Rouge agree heading off, Jellal and Lyon already gone Zeref takes the two body guards.

"Do you have a particular plan my lord?" Zancrow asks.

"Don't I always?" Zeref smiles.

"Yes my lord" Cobra answers with a smirk the two follow him to a tavern, the rowdy bar goes quiet as the three enter, Zeref unfazed goes straight up to the bartender.

"Have you had any members of Fairy Tail in your establishment of late?" Zeref inquires.

"I don't tend to have outlaws in my bar, or people looking for trouble, if that'll be all I'd ask you to…" Zancrow's arm strikes out, his hand around the bartender's throat cutting off his dismissal, Zeref looks around to the now shocked bar, Cobra standing in its doorway.

"I'll ask you all then, has anyone seen any members of Fairy Tail?"

"Just what do you want?" someone asks.

"I would think the question makes that obvious, I want Fairy Tail" Zeref says, Zancrow yanks the bartender over the counter and onto his back on the floor.

"Fairy Tail has committed high treason to the sultan, they have kidnapped the young Princess Levy, when they are found and they will be found, their punishment will be severe if anyone is associated with these outlaws and neglects to come forward, their punishment will be equally _painful_ " Zeref announces, Cobra smirks cracking his knuckles as Zancrow places his foot on the bartenders throat.

"For the last time, who here knows anything about _Fairy Tail?!"_

* * *

 **I was channelling my inner Snape in this one Zeref can be scary! Review what you think, and Follow or Fav for more!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Glad that my being sick has equalled to getting some chapters for this fic done. Chapter 13 unlucky for some.**

* * *

Sting and Rouge talked to dozens of people in the town, too soon it had been three hours and after buying some food they head back to the camels, Jellal and Lyon are there on time.

"Did you find anything?" Rouge asks.

"Nothing, it doesn't look like Fairy Tail stopped here" Jellal says.

"You?" Lyon asks.

"Same" Sting admits eating some grapes.

"I beg to differ" Zeref suddenly says, appearing with Cobra and Zancrow.

"You found something?" Jellal asks.

"Yes, weeks ago one member of Fairy Tail went to a nearby tavern and asked if they had any mead from HoneyComb arrive, they bought three cases and left, apparently according to another man he was an owner of a bar in the town just outside the palace"

"They were that close?" Lyon asks surprised.

"It appears so" Zeref says.

"Should we head back to check it out?" Sting asks.

"The bar would most likely have been evacuated once they kidnapped the princess, however we must explore every clue…we're going back" Jellal decides.

"How did you gather this information?" Lyon inquires, Zeref lightly shrugs as to not disturb Acnologia on his shoulder.

"We just asked the right people, the right questions" Zeref says, getting his own camel.

"Lucky, I guess" Lyon says eyes narrowing.

"Lucky indeed" Zeref says heading out after Jellal.

* * *

The ride back was fast since they weren't tracking anything, it took a few questions to a few people but they found the bar at the edge of town, Zancrow busted open the door, it was empty, Sting opened the windows to they could see they spent half an hour going through everything.

"They didn't leave much" Rouge says kicking an overturned chair.

"I didn't think they would" Jellal says coming up empty.

"To obtain such a business though, they would have needed a licence, perhaps town hall will hold a clue" Lyon suggests.

"Let's go" Sting agrees.

* * *

The clerk was helpful once he knew who they were.

"Here this is all I have on the property" he says handing over, Jellal takes it and begins reading quickly.

"It was purchased a year and a half ago by…a Natsu Dragneel co-paid by a Makarov Dreyar"

"I haven't heard of them" Lyon says shaking his head.

"Anything else?" Sting asks impatiently, Jellal squints as he reads turning more parchment over.

"Yes they had to produce an employment roster Mirajane Strauss and Kinana no last name worked as barmaids and waitresses as soon as it begun, there is no record they were fired or they quit"

"So they work for Fairy Tail" Rouge surmises.

"Most likely, while I've never heard of the others, Mirajane Strauss sounds familiar" Zeref says.

"She should, she was a fighter in that melee a few years ago in the Ivory City arena, we went to it" Sting says.

"That's right, she fought alongside Erza Scarlet" Rouge remembers.

"She also had a brother in the fight and a sister but she didn't fight" Sting recalls.

"What were their names?" Jellal asks.

"Um…the boy's name was strange" Sting says hitting his head to remember.

"Elfman, my lord" Zancrow says.

"Yes that's it!" Sting says.

"Lisanna was the younger sister" Rouge remembers.

"Well that's a lot more than we started with" Jellal says impressed handing the folder back to the clerk.

"Natsu Dragneel, Makarov Dreyar, Erza Scarlet, Mirajane Strauss, Elfman Strauss, Lisanna Strauss and Kinana, these may only be a few of the members of Fairy Tail but it's a start" Jellal accepts.

"You said you had met some of them before, did you catch their names?" Cobra suddenly asks.

"No, however one of them had scarlet red hair, would that have been Erza?"

"Yes" Rouge nods.

"Then I met her, a tall blond man with a scar over his eye, a black haired man with piercings and a young looking girl with long thick blonde hair down to her feet with no shoes"

"We'll discover who they are along with the rest of them when we destroy them and take the Princess" Zeref says.

"Where do we head now?" Sting asks Jellal.

"The next town on our path, now we have names to inquire along with their symbol, the liars will have a much harder time keeping quiet.

"Then let's go" Rouge says heading out with Sting, the others follow to the camels.

* * *

 **Oh no! Some of the members of Fairy Tail's identities have been discovered! What does this mean for Fairy Tail and the group tracking them? And of course the poor Princess Levy they are after?! Review your thoughts Follow for more!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Back again read on!**

* * *

 _Damn_ Erza thought from a roof, ducking down as the group of seven men headed out of town on their camels, Erza looked to Mira, Jet, Hibiki and Yukino.

"Those Lords are cleaver then we thought" Hibiki observes.

"Yeah they are" Erza admits it was a rookie mistake underestimating them Erza berates herself.

"They know master's name, Mira and her siblings, Natsu and Kinana are a part of us now" Yukino says worriedly.

"It doesn't matter, we knew eventually this would happen, at least they don't know about our guy inside we wouldn't be able to help him if they did" Erza says.

"Everyone else is back at base, we should tell them to either stay there or move, but with these people after us it not safe however we look at it" Mira says, Erza nods in understanding trying to think.

"Jet get back to base, tell them what's happened and who they know about, the three of us will track them to the next town they are headed to, by that time the will have to spend the night, meet us there" Erza decides.

"What should I say about staying or leaving?" Jet asks, Erza thinks for a moment.

"Tell master it's not safe either way right now, it's up to him" Jet nods and without further ado jumps off the roof and starts running to their camels well-hidden a few leagues away, he'd get to one and get back to base Erza, Hibiki, Mira and Yukino do the same, Jet was much faster and would be gone by the time they caught up, they had to get out of town without being obvious, so their process was further hindered, but they made it and took off.

"We need to hide ourselves better, our hair is too obvious!" Mira yells to Erza as they gallop across the sands.

"We need to hide out band mark too, they're searching for it!" Yukino includes.

"I agree, in the same town they get to, we'll get better disguises!" Erza says.

"I calculate they will reach it in two hours!" Hibiki yells, Erza understanding, buckles down to make the camel go faster, they needed to make up the time.

* * *

Levy was talking to a nice man named Droy, Kinana was a really nice waitress who was serving drinks around to everyone gave her an apple juice when Jet burst in, everyone was in the bar/hall milling around in groups, they all turned to him.

"Jet you left only a few hours ago, what's happened?" Gramps asks.

"Update" he pants catching his breath.

"They found the bar and the names on the licence, they know the names of Natsu, master, the Strauss's, Erza and Kinana, they're headed to another town to find information on us, Zeref one of the Lords harshly interrogated a tavern Natsu bought mead from weeks ago with his two bodyguards, I don't think he's going to play nice at the next town either"

"You saw this?" Laxus asks.

"No we came afterwards, the place was in shambles everyone who had been inside was injured, the bartender especially" Natsu glared even though it wasn't Jet's fault only at what he had said.

"Erza also told me to tell you that it's not safe to leave, but it may not be safe to stay, but it's up to you master" Jet continues, Gramps rubs his chin thinking as Kinana brings a drink to Jet which he practically inhales.

"We'll stay for now, unless it seems we are in direct danger, take a break son before you head out again"

"Will do" Jet nods turning around, seeing his friend and the Princess with him he smiles and heads over as Gramps, Laxus, Gajeel, Natsu, Gildarts, Gray and Mavis huddle to discuss developments, Jet sits next to Levy.

"Hey I'm Jet" he says unsure whether to bow or shake her hand, Levy smiles.

"I'm Levy please just call me Levy"

"But you're a Princess!" Droy says.

"I know" Levy assures them.

"So how did they learn about so many people?" Levy asks Jet.

"On the licence Natsu owns the bar, but Gramps helped pay, Mira and Kinana were put down as employees and the Lords recognised Mira's name as she was in a melee a few years back with Erza, which Jellal the bounty hunter recognised as the girl he met from Fairy Tail, Mira's siblings were attached and yeah it was a bit of guess work if you ask me but unfortunately they were spot on" Levy nodded following easily.

"What did you mean that one of the Lord's harshly interrogated the people at the tavern?" Jet looked over to Droy before looking back at her, but that was enough for Levy to understand.

"Are they hurting people to find me?"

"Not just you Princess, all of us they want every single one of us, so don't get it in your head that this is your fault, Fairy Tail chose this together, for all of Fiore alright?" Jet assures her, Levy nods biting her lip having to trust him.

"They're going to an awful lot of trouble for people they don't know" Levy says, Jet and Droy chuckle.

"Well that can be said of a lot of people, after all does every single member of the royal guard know your uncle? Do the servant's know who they serve? Do builders know the people whose house they build or fishermen know who eats their fish?" Droy asks.

"No" Levy says shaking her head with a smile.

"People, whether they realise it or not, do a lot for people they don't know, these people are doing what they are doing for profit nothing more, they don't care who it will hurt, or how damaging what they are doing will be, they are just selfish people who are blinded by greed" Droy says.

"That's rather sad" Levy realises, Jet and Droy nod in agreement as Laxus steps in.

"Maybe you should be on your way?" he says to Jet, who nods finishing his drink.

"Right, I'm off see you later Princess"

"Bye, be safe!" she waves as he leaves, she then turns to Laxus.

"Did you have to send him so fast? He barely got a break"

"He has a job to do and its better him going now rather than riding at night, it's far more dangerous then"

"You all brought me here at night" she reminds him.

"We had no choice, it was about necessity not safety"

"Alright" Levy considers turning back to her drink, Laxus lingers another two seconds before returning to the bar.

"Wow Laxus actually came and spoke to you" Droy says quietly.

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Well he's not much of a talker to be honest, Gajeel too they're the quiet ones"

"They talk to me" Levy says remembering clearly.

"Well you're special" Droy says with a smile, Levy smiles back not feeling all that special but she had another sip of her apple juice wondering if they thought differently.

* * *

 **Longer chapter than usual sorry, Review your thoughts!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Quite a bit going on huh, well let's see what's happening next.**

* * *

Even though Levy couldn't see the sun she felt when it was dark, she was surrounded by people of Fairy Tail mainly Wendy, Romeo, Mavis, Juvia, Eve, Droy, Elfman, Lisanna, Bixlow, Evergreen, Nab, Max, Laki, Warren, Ren and Sherry. Lucy was sitting on Natsu's knee at another table with Gray on the other side discussing something with Gajeel. Gramps was still sitting on the bar Cana and Bacchus had been cut off but they were still laughing and chatting together, ignoring looks from her father who was half talking to Laxus. Romeo was a nice boy he was fifteen and really good at slight-of-hand you wouldn't even notice him take something, Nab was more of a reader like Levy he and his team were lookouts for the others, Laki spoke a little funny but she happily chatted with her and Max who thought sand was awesome and loved living in such a land, he was apparently a sand sculpture expert. Warren liked listening and talking equally but was definitely more observant of others, Levy decided. Ren and Sherry were engaged which Levy thought was really sweet considering how different they were to each other, Sherry loved to talk and prattle on about pretty things, whereas Ren was more quiet and reserved but he held her hand as she talked to everyone she could. Eve was also pretty quiet but he was also very kind sitting close to Romeo, he was young around sixteen or seventeen, they mostly talked together. Lisanna and Bixlow were an odd pair to see together at first but eventually Levy convinced herself they had to be dating in some regard Bixlow teased her relentlessly and Lisanna pretended to be annoyed while actually laughing, Bixlow tended to stick his tongue out when he laughed which Levy found funny as if while he was laughing he was still making fun of you, Lisanna looked a lot like Yukino had from the short time Levy had seen her but she apparently wasn't related. Evergreen whose nickname was Ever was definitely dating Elfman they argued nonstop but also didn't appear to take what either of them said seriously almost like they were flirting, not that Levy would know outside of books, but if this was a romance novel they would definitely be together, those who argued always ended up together. Mavis was actually older than she looked which at a guess would be younger than Romeo but she was actually twenty and one of the people in charge of Fairy Tail, like Gramps, Erza and Laxus, Gildarts also held some kind of standing, maybe because of his age, Levy had noticed many of the guild members were her age or a bit older. But Mavis was nice she swung her legs back and forth on her chair and she didn't wear shoes, just like Levy, Droy also stuck close by over the evening he was sweet like Jet before he had to go again, Levy hoped she could be friends with them all, none of them seemed to dislike her and once they got over her being a Princess they treated her like anyone else which Levy deeply appreciated. The other person Levy talked to a lot was Juvia, Juvia talked in third person which took some getting used to but once she had Levy and her chatted for most of the night until many people had moved off for bed, Lily was asleep on a carpet with Happy and Carla all wrapped around each other.

"Goodnight Levy, Juvia will see you tomorrow" Juvia said.

"Goodnight Juvia" Levy says, feeling ready to go to bed herself, she looked around, the only people remaining were Lucy, Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, Laxus and Droy who had fallen asleep on the table, Levy smiled feeling bad for him, should she wake him up? She wondered.

"Leave him Princess he's fine" Gray says beside her, she looks to him.

"Are you sure?" she asks, he nods, Levy looks behind him, Lucy had dozed off on Natsu's lap and he picked her up to carry her to bed.

"I'll walk you back" Gray offers.

"Alright" she agrees leaving Droy a little guiltily she walks with Gray, still unsure of the way herself.

"So how are you taking everything?" Gray asks.

"I'm okay, I think, it's a lot to take in, there's a lot I didn't realise I didn't know, stuff that everyone seems to think is really basic and I feel really bad when I don't know it"

"It doesn't matter you have a different social upbringing, it doesn't make you inferior" Gray assures her.

"Thank you" Levy smiles, feeling better.

"Can I ask you something?" Levy asks as they walk.

"Of course" he says.

"What would you do in my shoes?" she asks.

"I wouldn't know where to start, even being in my own shoes I wouldn't know what to do, there is so much to consider, our society is fragile and just removing the sultan may not actually help, we actually have to start from the bottom up, work carefully like we're walking on thin ice, I don't envy your position Levy and besides you don't wear shoes" he says with a smirk, Levy giggles, lightening the mood.

"True" she concedes smiling at the shirtless man, he stops at her doorway which she opens her new room hadn't changed, she turns back to Gray.

"Thank you for walking me back Gray" she says.

"You're welcome Princess Levy, I don't know if this will help or not but I guess I'll just say it…no matter what you decide to do, I'll follow you because I don't think you're a coward, I think you're braver than you think, you have a true heart and you use it to its full extent on everyone you meet, you're going to change everything, I know it" he tells her, Levy looks at him meeting his dark eyes, how could he have such faith in her? She wished she could ask this question but she knew she couldn't how could you ask someone why they have faith? They just do and if it's for the right reasons with the right heart how can you question it? Levy smiles and nods.

"Thank you Gray"

"Anytime Levy" he says suddenly taking her hand and kissing it, before Levy could breathe in, Gray turns and leaves her. Levy stands there for a little while before turning back to her bed, leaving her door open she crawls into the sheets _if people are going to put their faith in me, I'm going to have to learn to have faith with myself_ Levy thinks before she closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep.

* * *

 **I honestly did not start this scene with the intention of it ending this way but yeah this happened hahahahaha, Review your thoughts and Follow for more!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Eek I've been caught by readers! Okay need to get back to writing…new chapter…I have no idea what's going to happen either guys, good luck.**

 **Thanks everyone for reviewing! It means the world to me! Don't worry I have a plan…or like half a plan 8/16ths of a plan for sure!**

* * *

Levy sat with Gramps, most of the other members of Fairy Tail were busy and Levy didn't want to get in the way, Lily lay at her feet, Happy and Carla were napping on their carpet near the wall. Erza, Hibiki, Mira, Yukino and Jet were still out tracking the Lords to each town they stopped at, most of the usual teams had been broken up to some degree and what was left were joining others to help. Juvia and Droy were helping Gajeel as he readied weapons, Ren, Eve and Sherry had joined with Warren, Nab, Max and Laki to help pack up the lair, in case they needed to escape quickly. Natsu, Lucy and Gray were training in a large practise room deeper inside the mountain, Lucy especially needed to train up in case of attack or a fight. Lisanna and Kinana were still taking care of everyone and cooking food and pouring drinks while simultaneously taking stock of the kitchens, Elfman acting as weight lifter for the more heavy stock. Wendy and Romeo were taking care of medical supplies, Mavis hadn't moved from the table with the map of Fiore on it, Gildarts sat near her drinking wine or was it mead? Levy had forgotten. Cana and Bacchus who seemed like the most carefree in the band were having a knife throwing contest and flirting as Levy had come to recognise with their skill against each other. Finally there was Laxus and his team Ever was bored fanning herself with a decretive fan, Bixlow was mostly distracting Lisanna and Freed was reading a very thick book in another language that Levy recognised as Ancient Fiorian, Laxus was just resting, not paying attention to much but Levy knew better his team were acting as bodyguards, just in case. Gramps too was quiet looking at the map that Mavis had been staring at, Levy stood up and walked over to Freed sitting down, he looked up surprised to see who was now sitting next to him.

"Can you read that?" she asks.

"Yes of course Princess" he says with a smile and a bow of his head, Levy waved off his formalities.

"I don't think I've ever seen that book what is it?"

"You've read Ancient Fiorian?" he asks shocked Levy nods with a smile.

"Well this is a history of Fiore from the first settlers of this land and the rise of royalty, the civil war that erupted and the ensuing peace, trade with the other kingdoms and the fall of democracy by the crown a few hundred years ago" Freed summarises.

"Wow I've read some texts on early settling and trade agreements but not the rest, where did you find this?"

"Well there are not many libraries in Fiore the sultan stole most texts and stored them in some underground vault, but this I found in one of the uncategorised stacks in a small town called Rosemary Village, which we came across months back"

"May I see?" Levy asks, Freed hands over the book and Levy reads the front and then the first few pages, she could translate it easily thanks to the lessons she used to take.

"Could I borrow this?"

"Of course Princess I've read it before, in fact I think I have another in Ancient Fiorian a more mythological based book but still quite interesting" he offers.

"I'd love to read it" she says honestly, Freed nods happily standing up and rushing out.

"Can you actually read that gibberish?" Laxus asks from behind her, Levy turns to him.

"It's not gibberish if you know how to read it" she tells him.

"You don't read it how we do, you read it from the top left and then read down then back up, it is difficult if you're impatient but it's quiet a lovey language I've found"

"Can you read any other languages?" he asks.

"Yes Alvarezinan which is a more sharp language, Edolain which is a complex code like language and Phyroxian you probably haven't hurt of it but it's an old language from an old culture"

"How did you learn these languages?"

"Well I used to have lessons every day on a variety of things, such as geography, history, languages, etiquette, dancing, commerce, strategy and defence"

"Defence?"

"Yes my father wanted me to learn about defence in case of a battle or skirmish, it's been years since then though, technically I can defend myself enough to cause distraction and run, which was the purpose of the lessons"

"I look forward to seeing that" he says with an amused grin as Freed returns with the book.

"I don't, I ended up with bruises every single time"

"That is how you learn" he says with a shrug.

"I suppose" Levy agrees, turning back to Freed the two of them get into an interesting discussion over the languages they knew and the books they've read.

* * *

 **Okay so I made up these languages, Ancient Fiorian was the original language of Fiore, Alvarezian is the language spoken and written in the neighbouring kingdom of Alvarez, Edolian is the language in another nearby kingdom and Phyroxian (FUH-ROX-IAN) is a sub-language founded in Fiore hundreds of years ago in a far off town (this may be brought up again in the future) I made up the name from Phoenix the name of the Fairy Tail movie.**

 **P.S. I bought Fairy Tail Blue Minstrel at a book store today :)**

 **Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**So to quickly answer some review questions without giving anything away…**

 **Yes I know who the Spy is :)**

 **The Lords and Fairy Tail will collide!**

 **I'm shipping all this shipping too :)**

 **Jet is sort of a messenger since he is so fast but he is also good at following because of his speed.**

 **Yeah I'm making up a lot of this as I go but I have a few points I know I want to hit and add in.**

 **Assume all you like on who Levy will end with I guarantee by the end you will still have no idea who I choose.**

 **I know my groups are different but I think they work because of their difference.**

 **Anyway back to the story enjoy!**

* * *

Levy was engrossed in the book Freed gave her, it was just so interesting! Fairy Tail was buzzing around her, Jet had returned and said the Lords were getting close, the people were scared of the group tearing up the towns to find the Princess. Even though none of them knew where they were, the band couldn't risk being this close so they were moving out, Levy was the only one left doing nothing so she was reading the two books she now had.

She read about the first settlers of Fiore, how they decided among themselves who would lead them, the son of that man became King later also referred to as the Sultan, who founded the Capital City Crocus and begun the construction of the palace. His first born was a Princess with a twin brother born ten minutes after his sister, she became the first Queen and she was greatly loved by all but her twin was both jealous and envious of his sister and plotted a coo to overthrow his sister with compatriots who believed a man should be on the throne, they planned it well, the Queen whole heartedly trusted her twin, who betrayed her and took over the throne and put her in the dungeon. A year later she died and in her place a baby prince was found, the traitor King took the boy and raised him, the son in turn killed the king once he learned of what he did to his mother. There was peace again in the kingdom, trade was established between kingdoms and more towns and settlements spread across the land, but then a new group rose wanting more than just one person in charge of all of them. This ideal was Democracy were the people would get a say in how they were governed, the now older king with children of his own grew paranoid and a civil war broke out when the king started heavily taxing the people so no one could defy the power of the crown, they did anyway and he died in battle. However his wife took over and brought peace, democracy was not established but the crown was much kinder to the people and everyone seemed happy, the same system has been in place for hundreds of years with only small disagreements every now and then but the sovereignty has always prevailed to be the one ruling power of Fiore.

Levy put the book down with a sigh she didn't see what was wrong with this idea of Democracy it would take a lot of pressure off royals and allow more involvement with the people, of course she could understand there was a threat of corruption or misuse of power but the same can be said of royalty, with Democracy it could become difficult to know who to blame with royalty you have a face, a real person to thank or blame. Levy picked up her other book and begun reading, this book was about myths and legends of Fiore, such as the tale of forty thieves who came and disappeared like ghosts, the legend of dragons and how they bestowed power to certain humans who passed their trials and a short fairy tale about a prince and princess, Levy begun reading that.

 _The Tale of a Twin Prince and Princess:_

 _Once very long ago._

 _A Sultan was blessed with twin heirs._

 _A Prince and a Princess._

 _The Princess was born first and she became Queen._

 _She was loved by all who witnessed her._

 _Especially her twin._

 _Who coveted her like gold._

 _The Queen had many suitors but she chose none._

 _The Prince became envious of the suitors and jealous of the throne._

 _He plotted a coo and took the crown._

 _Locking away his sister deep underground._

 _He visited every day._

 _Asked her to be his Queen._

 _But she refused the twin she loved._

 _Who betrayed her for power, not love._

 _She died the next year._

 _A baby in her wake._

 _Born from the king who stole his place._

 _Later on, many years._

 _The young prince learned the truth._

 _And slay the man he thought was friend._

 _Father it turned out to be._

 _Years rolled by and paranoia grew._

 _Caused the down fall of the King Sultan we knew._

 _His Queen took his place, brought peace to their plate._

 _And so it has been._

 _Until this very date._

Levy stared at the text for longer than she should have, she flipped the book to the back to see when this book was written, it said forty years ago that was when her uncle had been born just after her father, someone had written the entire thing in Ancient Fiorian on purpose, adding in this legend. Levy opened the other book and compared the two.

 _Was this the same legend? Was it even a legend or a fact?_

Levy wondered.

"What's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost" Laxus asked kneeling next to her, she looked to him.

"Do you believe in legends?" she asks him.

"That's a tough thing to answer, if you asked Freed he'd say all legends are based in some fact"

"What about you?" Laxus slowly nods his head musing.

"I'd have to agree, stories become legends that become myths, fairies for instance could have existed once, maybe they still do you never know, a thousand years from now who know what they'll say about the bandits of Fairy Tail who kidnapped a princess" Levy nods and Laxus with a last look at her walks away to help load the last of their items on the caravan. Levy stares back at the books in front of her, she couldn't do much with the information she had, but she wondered how could someone know history would repeat itself?

* * *

 **Sorry I suck at poems and rhyme, I didn't plan it either it just happened. Sorry to anyone who is offended by the story too unfortunately royalty has always had some incest, nobles too this is a historical fact. Hope some people liked it anyway new chapter soon.**


	18. Chapter 18

**You guys are awesome thank you so much for your support! All new chapter enjoy!**

* * *

Levy and Lucy were sitting inside a caravan with a lot of supplies inside there were three others behind them and more camels packed with members of Fairy Tail and more supplies, Natsu was driving this caravan pulled by two donkeys. In the next few kilometres they will split off so not to attract attention as suck a large group. Cana and Bacchus had been put in charge of separating everyone into groups of seven and evenly as they can of fighters and defenders all the while making sure not to look suspicious. Levy was put in the care of Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Laxus, and Wendy, Cana had Bacchus, Gildarts, Nab, Laki, Warren, and Juvia with her, Gramps had Ren, Sherry, Eve, Kinana, Ever and Elfman. Mavis was in charge of the other group with, Romeo, Freed, Bixlow, Lisanna, Droy, Max and the three felines, Lily, Happy and Carla. Jet had gone back to Erza they would no longer be communicating via him they would have to look out for themselves and meet up in the village of Magnolia in five days' time. So Levy prepared for the long journey, she truly was excited though because she would be able to see the towns they passed and maybe even go into one if she wore a disguise she was sure that would be okay. Gray who Levy had never seen with a shirt on was riding a camel alongside their caravan, Laxus was on the other side with Gajeel bringing up the rear when they split up, Wendy was sitting up front with Natsu.

The only things Levy had were in a small trunk, the two books Freed had given her inside with the clothes Lucy had gotten for her. She hadn't said anything after talking to Laxus she decided it wasn't that important and everyone was more worried about being discovered by those Lords.

Jet had told her their names, Lord Zeref a dark haired man wearing black robes who wasn't afraid to threaten people, Lord Sting a blond man with a pet meerkat who kept on whining and Lord Rouge another dark haired man who was very quiet, he had a desert fox with him. Their bodyguards were Zancrow and Cobra, one had long blond hair and a 'crazy' look in his eyes according to Jet and Cobra, he only had one eye the other had a long scar across it, he had marron coloured hair. The bounty hunters were Jellal, a dark blue haired man with a red tattoo over one eye and Lyon a silver haired man with dark eyes and white robes, Jet told her this so if she saw anyone like this she should avoid them.

"Hey, were coming up on a town soon" Natsu calls back to them.

"Okay!" Lucy calls back.

"Can I see it?" Levy asks, Lucy bites her lip.

"I'm not sure…maybe?"

"Lu!" Levy begged.

"I'll get a hood for you" Lucy concedes.

"Yes!" she cheers, Lucy smiles rolling her eyes and goes to one of the bags pulling out a hood, she hands it to Levy, walking to the front to talk to Natsu.

"Natsu when we get to the town, I'm taking Princess Levy in"

"That may not be a good idea" Natsu says hesitantly.

"I know but she really wants to see, she's never been more than a few streets out of the palace" Natsu nods understanding.

"Okay but we can't all go in and someone needs to look after the caravan, camels and the donkeys" Lucy nods in agreement though Natsu can't see focusing on the road.

"Well you should be one of the ones to stay"

"Why?" he asks honestly confused Lucy smiles at his ignorance.

"So we don't draw attention to the pink haired man"

"It's salmon" he mumbles Lucy laughs.

"You've been found out by the Lords, we can't risk people recognising you, Gajeel should stay too he'll stand out to much"

"Then Gray and Laxus will go with you?"

"Yeah"

"What about me?" Wendy asks.

"You can come too, having a younger girl might make us less conspicuous" Lucy says, Wendy smiles and nod, Lucy goes back to Levy who heard everything, she had the hood wrapped around her, hiding her figure and with the hood up would hide her face.

"I feel like a rouge Princess" she admits.

"You look like it" Lucy agrees, Levy laughs and excitedly waits for the caravan to stop.

* * *

"Alright we are only going to be here for twenty minutes, rest the camels and donkeys, water and feed them and get more feed from the town, Princess you will be on my left at all times, Gray you will protect our backs, Lucy on her other side and Wendy keep close, I'm not searching for you if you go missing" Laxus says gruffly.

"Yes you will" Wendy says with a smile, Laxus's mouth twitches.

"Don't worry I'll be close" she promises.

"Natsu, Gajeel look after everything, do not draw attention and do not fight" Laxus tells them Natsu rolls his eyes, Gajeel just grunts his arms folded.

"Whatever" Laxus leads the small party, Levy had her hood up and excitedly followed him towards the town, Lucy right beside her and Gray following with Wendy.

"I expected them to be happier" Levy says, walking through the town, Laxus was heading for a feed shop, Levy was trailing just behind him with Lucy at her side.

"This place is better than most" Laxus says without turning back, Levy looks to the people milling around, she spotted a few beggars and a lot of people who hadn't washed in a long time, Levy told herself not to cover her nose, that would be rude.

"The biggest problem in towns like this is water supply" Lucy says.

"They don't have a well?"

"No, they have to rely on rations from the other towns"

"That's not fair, can't they build one?"

"I'm sure they have a tank somewhere to collect what little rainfall they get, and to store the rations but it's not always so simple as to build a well, if there isn't water under the ground, there's no use and transporting water is very hard" Levy understands but it still seemed so unfair.

 _How could I help them?_

Levy wonders, suddenly a beggar threw himself in front of them, Levy touches Laxus's arm gently before he drew his sword, Levy goes to the man kneeling down to him but keeping her face hidden.

"Can we help you sir?" she asks.

"Could you spare some food? Or water miss?" he asks, Levy nods, holding her hand out to Lucy, she hands her a water skin and Levy gives it to the man, Wendy dug into her bag, bringing out some bread she hands some of it to the man.

"Bless you kind souls" the man says if he wasn't so dehydrated he would have been crying, Levy looks over the other people there were at least a dozen spread out, Levy took the bread from Wendy and started spreading it out, the group of Fairy Tail had no choice but to go with her, after all the food Wendy had was gone and the water they'd spread out had been passed out, Levy reluctantly followed Laxus to the feed store, he bought the feed, Laxus and Gray carried it, Wendy putting the smaller food in her bag they left the town, Natsu and Gajeel waited impatiently.

"What took so long?" Natsu asks, Laxus throws the feed at him, he catches it with an 'oof'.

"Princes are you okay?" he asks.

"I'm fine" she says steeping into the caravan, Lucy sighs.

"This is why I didn't want her to come" she says softly.

"It's better she knows" Gray says.

"We don't have enough food or water to feed and hydrate every town we visit" Lucy says.

"I know" he says.

"We'll refill the water at the next town it has a well" Laxus says.

"Leave in five" he say, going to the camels.

"So what happened?" Gajeel asks.

"Princess Levy saw a different side of life for the first time, I think it's just shocked her, she'll be fine" Gray says, Gajeel nods helping with the feed, Natsu gets back to the caravan, Lucy climbs back in and Wendy slips next to Natsu at the front.

"So do we still have any food?" Natsu asks.

"Yeah what's on the camels, Princess Levy gave what was in my bag to those beggars"

"Doesn't she know there are far worse off towns?"

"Of course not, she's the Princess" Wendy says. Levy heard them clearly and looked down ashamed, she took off her hood.

 _Worse off towns?_

She had never seen such poor conditions and there where worse places? Levy didn't talk to Lucy for the next few hours, they reached another town but Levy didn't go out, Lucy stayed with her but stepped outside to stretch her legs, Laxus, Gray and Wendy had gone for water, Natsu was happily snacking on some food and Gajeel was checking the animal's shoes so they weren't causing any discomfort.

 _I really don't know anything about my country_

Levy thinks sadly, closing her eyes.

* * *

 **Long chapter I know but many of you like them so yay? Review and Follow for more :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Here's a new chapter with the Lords you all so love :)**

* * *

Zeref had been searching for Fairy Tail for almost a week now, they visited town after town looking for everything and everything related to Fairy Tail. Eventually towns started being expectant of them and they hid in their houses, that didn't protect them, however Sting and Rouge were beginning to be hesitant of their method.

"I know you really want to find the Princess, Zeref but aren't we taking it a bit too far?" Sting asks, he was carrying Lector on his shoulder, the meerkat was moving it head around at every slightest noise.

"Do I need to remind you it is the Princess we are looking for?"

"Of course not" Sting tries to say.

"Bandits kidnapped her! Filthy bandits dared kidnapped a royal, we cannot let this go unpunished" Zeref spits, Acnologia gripped tighter on his shoulder so he wasn't flung off.

"I understand" Sting apologises.

"Do we have any more leads?" Rouge asks in his calm voice, Froshe was sitting at his feet.

"Jellal and Lyon believe they have abandoned whatever headquarters they were using and are retreating inland, we just need to find where, I don't care if we have to herd them all the way to the eastern ocean but eventually they will be cornered" Cobra and Zancrow return from their search of the lower town.

"Have you found anything?" Zeref questions.

"Actually yes, we 'talked' to a homeless man who said an odd group came through a few days ago"

"Define odd" Rouge says.

"He says a rather contrasting group came through, a tall strong blond man with a lightning scar, a lean shirtless black haired man, a busty blond woman, a young girl with purple pigtails and a hooded girl whose face he never saw but he said she walked barefoot"

"That may be nothing" Sting says critically.

"I'd agree except he saw they came from a caravan left outside the town, where there was a man covered in piercings and, get this, a pink haired man" Cobra says.

"You don't think?" Sting wonders.

"Natsu Dragneel" Zeref says immediately.

"Do you think the cloaked girl was Princess Levy?'

"I don't know much about the Princess but I do know she's been confined to the castle for the past two years, she most likely hasn't worn shoes in that time" Zeref says thinking.

"Well the man we talked to and a few others say the girl went around to a lot of them and gave them food and water"

"A bleeding heart Princess, it makes sense" Zeref muses.

"What's this?" Jellal asks coming upon them with Lyon.

"We have a lead" Zeref says, repeating everything for them, Jellal nods at the end.

"If the Princess felt bad for the beggars it makes sense she'd try and help them, what is surprising though is the group let her, that doesn't sound like something you'd let a prisoner do"

"Maybe they are trying to gain her trust" Rouge speculates.

"Perhaps, let's not focus on that now, which way did the caravan go?" Zeref ask.

"The man said he didn't know, trust me he would have told us if he did" Zancrow says.

"Alright we'll have to make educated guesses, they are still trying to outrun us so that gives us a fair idea" Zeref says.

"Didn't you say they gave the beggars food and water?" Lyon says.

"Yes" Cobra confirms.

"Then they'll need more water, there is no well in this town they would have to head for the next and that's east"

"Good work Lyon, let's go" Jellal says, they head out and begin their journey to the next destination.

* * *

Jellal stopped their procession suddenly a few hours later, they stopped and turned looking where he was, a man was racing toward them on a camel, he came to a stop in front of them.

"Excuse me Lords Zeref, Sting and Rouge, hunters Jellal and Lyon, I have a message from the Sultan to be relayed to you"

"How'd you find us?" Cobra demands, he didn't care he wasn't called out, he was used to that but he didn't trust sudden messengers.

"With respect my lords, you have not been subtle in your search for the Princess" the messenger says bowing his head.

"Fair enough" Sting agrees.

"What's the message?" Zeref demands.

"My lord Sultan has taken stock of his workers and discovered one other is missing, the Princess's servant and the only servant allowed in her quarters"

"Why was this not discovered sooner?!" Jellal demands.

"The Sultan did not think of her until he ordered the check of the castle for all servants"

"Who is this servant?" Rouge asks.

"Her name is Lucy Heartfillia the Princess's handmaiden, she is a blonde haired girl with brown eyes"

"Do you think that was the busty blonde from the last town?" Sting wonders.

"I'd bet on it, she was helping the bandits, no wonder they managed to take the Princess so easily, they had an inside woman!"

"Is there anything else the Sultan wished to add?" Lyon asks the messenger.

"Only that you continue your job to find and destroy Fairy Tail"

"That won't be a problem, tell the Sultan this, Fairy Tail is as good as crushed" Zeref orders, the messenger bows the cross scar on his cheek tightening.

"As you wish my lords" he says, he turns the camel around and races it back the way he came.

"Another name on the list and we have descriptions of another four members" Sting says, Rouge nods.

"At this rate there will be nowhere for them to hide"

"We'll make sure of that" Zeref says, they begin moving again, gaining on their prey.

* * *

 **Fairy Tail is slowly being unmasked, the Lords are on their tail can they outrun them? Review what you think! :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello everyone again, Thank you everyone who has reviewed and followed enjoy! :)**

 **Also I will be out of Internet contact this weekend so I will be putting up two chapters today at separate times and two on Sunday to make up for it okay? :)**

* * *

Levy stubbornly went to every single village they visited after missing the one they refilled on water at, Lucy was concerned Levy barely ate, hid away what she didn't eat in a shoulder bag she carried herself, she had her own water skin which would fearlessly shares with anyone she came across. Lucy was constantly washing it at wells and oasis's hoping to avoid any contamination but Levy didn't stop, she was almost possessed. Lucy had stolen a pouch of gold coins from Levy's uncle, something he wouldn't miss, she hadn't touched it but gave it all to Levy and she used it to buy more food and water and spread it out as much as she could. They came across worse and better villages as they went, even at the worse, Levy would go up to everyone and help them, the people were so grateful to her, she would even accompany Wendy into makeshift medical buildings and help her treat the injured and sick people, at one they called her a 'Seraph' an old name for Angels, Levy just smiled and handed out food from her bag.

Lucy was beginning to believe Levy was a Seraph the way she was selflessly giving everything she could to all of them. They would arrive at Magnolia tomorrow a better off town, the original headquarters for Fairy Tail, they should be safe there.

* * *

"They're getting too close" Erza says, Mira nods in agreement.

"Natsu is stopping at every village on the way to Magnolia for some reason" Yukino says shaking her head.

"Apparently they're feeding the people and giving them water" Hibiki says.

"The Princess probably has something to do with that" Jet says.

"The people aren't cooperating with the Lords anymore, they're not saying anything to them, they're running off blind" Mira contributes.

"That will only by so much time" Erza says thinking.

"We can't engage them, it wouldn't do any good" Yukino says.

"I agree, our chances of success would be small" Hibiki calculates.

"Well you're right on that that" a voice interrupts them, the five of them turn to Cobra, who had somehow gotten behind them, Erza draws her sword with Mira, Zancrow appears on their flank, the two body guards attack, Hibiki and Jet get out of the way of the four fighting, Yukino trips over the sand dune sliding down backwards, she lands at two peoples feet, Jellal and Lyon.

"Looks like you were right Cobra" Jellal says he reached down and pulled Yukino up, she struggled and Lyon grabbed her wrists tying her up.

"Jet Run!" she screams.

"Go!" Hibiki agrees, Jet gives them a last desperate look and turns running, Hibiki looks around for the Lords but can't see them, Zancrow and Mira where in an intense battle, Cobra and Erza too, Mira and Erza were back to back, Hibiki turned looking and is decked by Sting, he lands with a painful thud in the sand.

"Rouge you good?" he says to his partner, Rouge nods drawing his crossbow, aimed at Jet's running figure, he wouldn't get far, Rouge fires.

* * *

"So Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss, we knew of your connections but who are you three?" Zeref asks the other three, Erza and Mira where still struggling against the chains that held them, connected to Cobra and Zancrow, who were also worse for wear, they stay quiet, Jet was trying not to grimace at his shoulder, the arrow had been taken out but it still hurt, they were all on their knees.

"Don't be stubborn and we won't kill you" Jellal says.

"Yeah right" Jet spits.

"Hey our main objective is the Princess, killing Fairy Tail is secondary, we can be lenient" he says, the three of them still say nothing. Zeref rolls his eyes and kicks Jet in the shoulder, he cries out.

"Leave him alone!" Yukino shouts.

"We just want your names" Lyon tries to reason, Hibiki swallows sharing a look with Yukino.

"My name is Hibiki Lates" he says slowly.

"I'm Yukino Agria"

"Jet" Jet coughs sitting back up.

"See that wasn't hard" Jellal says.

"Now you've been following us for a while haven't you?" they don't say anything.

"You have to be meeting up with Fairy Tail somewhere, were would that be?" they remain silent.

"I really don't want to hurt you, your conviction alone is impressive, but the Princess needs to be returned" Erza looks Jellal in the eye.

"We'd rather die" she says simply.

"We can arrange that" Zeref says breezily, fully ready to kill them.

"Wait" Jellal says, Zeref raises and eyebrow at him.

"We can use them, to find Fairy Tail"

"How do you propose we do that?" Zeref asks, Jellal smiles.

"I have an idea"

* * *

 **Shorter chapter sorry but I want to stop it here. R & F!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Extra chapter for today, enjoy!**

* * *

Levy and company stop for the night before the final stretch to Magnolia, one of the great things about living in Fiore is even though it was warm during the days and the night weren't too cold so a fire wasn't necessary. However they did light torches to see, Natsu started going on about old stories.

"And the Fire Falls of Dragons…." was where Levy tuned back in.

"Pardon?" she asks, Natsu look surprised she had spoken but happily launched into what he knew.

"My dad used to tell me stories of the Fire Falls, it's an oasis out in the desert supposedly created by dragons, hence Fire Falls, when the sun sets the light hits the water of the waterfall and makes it look like it's on fire, apparently its beautiful and if you make a wish, you'll meet an actual dragon!"

"Its nonsense obviously, dragons are extinct" Lucy says, lightly hitting Natsu for filling her head with such things. Levy however, trying to be inconspicuous reached into her bag pulling out one of her books, she scanned the pages until she came to the part about the Dragons bestowing power to those who passed their trials. One of the stories in this book wasn't fiction maybe this one wasn't either, maybe it could help! She had to go to these Fire Falls but how was she going to do that?"

"Have you ever been?" Levy asks, putting the book away, Natsu blinks he had been laughing at something Lucy said and had to think back to what they had been talking about.

"Uh no, my dad just told me stories and something about the North Star being a guide to the lost and it finds you? Like the oasis only appears to those worthy of finding it"

"Isn't the North Star how people tell where they are?" Levy asks.

"Yep" Natsu nods, Levy looks up to the clear night sky, the North Star shone brightly, she'd charted stars being locked up in her room for so long, Lucy loved stars too and would tell her all about constellations, if this legend was true, Levy was sure she could use the North Star to find her way. The group settled down for the night, Natsu snoring away next to Lucy who must have been used to it, slept right next to him. Wendy was fast asleep beside Levy, Gray too was rolled over on his sleeping mat, Gajeel lightly snored, Levy couldn't tell if Laxus was asleep, he was laying upright against the caravan. His eyes closed, Levy waited a full hour before she stood up, she gently grabbed her bag and stepped away from the group. Making sure to be quiet she went around the caravan and untied one of the camels it thankfully didn't make any noise, she led it away from the group, every step she took she thought she would be found out but she wasn't. She very difficultly got onto the camel, terrified as she had never controlled one of these things, she did as she'd seen the others do and clicked and it started moving, Levy followed the North Star and hoped she was doing the right thing.

* * *

Three hours later and well into the night, Levy came to a stop, doubting herself for the hundredth time.

 _Maybe Lucy was right, maybe this was just a story_

But Levy for some reason kept going, another hour in she spotted something, an oasis it looked like, Levy headed for it hoping it wasn't a mirage but it was real like a small tropical rainforest. Levy jumped down from the camel, tying it to a tree and headed in, whether this was the place or not it was beautiful, Levy heard running water and headed for it hoping no wild animals had the same idea but there was nothing when she came across a beautiful waterfall and pool, the waterfall was about five stories high, falling into the pool below, the moon was shining down reflecting in the water making it look so very much alive.

"It's beautiful" she says out loud, Levy put down her bags and took off her dress, leaving it on a rock, she gently steps into the water, eventually coming up to her waist, she swims the rest of the way toward the waterfall. Levy might have missed the inscription on the rock wall but she had been looking for something, anything and now she found it. The inscription was in Ancient Fiorian 'Dragon's Tears' its says, Levy dives under the fall of the waterfall to behind it, coming back up she spots a very small opening just above her, impossible to see from the other side. Levy reaches up and climbs in, even though it hurt kneeling on the rock she crawls inside wishing she had some light, her wish was granted, the moonlight was flowing inside from an opening at the top so she could see. A wall of inscription appeared before her it was faded from age but Levy could read it.

' _Only those who are worthy and pass the Dragon's tests will drink from the Fire Falls, made from Dragon Tears, state your claim and let the trial begin'_

State her claim? How? Levy thought back to Natsu saying you had to make a wish, Levy closed her eyes.

"I wish to have the power to help my people" she says, the entire room shakes like an earthquake and Levy is thrown back, hitting the wall, she ignored the scrapes she got and stood seeing the creature that had suddenly appeared!

"You're…" she breathes.

"A dragon, I know who you are Princess Levy and why you have come but only those who are worthy may pass" a deep voice comes from the green scaled dragon.

"I understand, what do I have to do?" she asks, she didn't care that she was naked or hurt or hungry and tired, she would do anything to have the power she needed to help her people.

* * *

 **Tell me what you guys think! Sorry you have to wait a few days to find out what happens.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Next chapter! Back from camping, our team won a 24 hr bike race of mixed 4's (I was the manager) I'm tired from all the driving (614km) all round but as promised Arabian Nights has returned.**

* * *

The dragon disappeared and in its place her uncle stood!

"I've found you" he spit, Levy was terrified and backed away.

"I'm dragging you back to your room! How dare you defy me! I killed your father! What makes you think I will not do the same to you?!" he spits going after her, Levy scurries away.

"You will do everything I say! You will marry who I say! Do you understand?! I own you!"

"I'm sorry!" she cries backed into a wall.

"You will be" he promises.

"Fairy Tail will be executed, I will tax the poor to hell for what you've done!"

"No please! Do whatever you want with me but leave them alone!" she begs.

"No such luck! They will all suffer and it will be your fault!"

"No!" Levy screams jumping to her feet.

"I won't let you!" she screams.

"You can't stop me! I am the King! I am the Sultan! No one can defy me!"

"I can! I will! I am Princess Levy, rightful heir to the throne and I defy you!" Levy screams, the Sultan stops his verbal attack and looks thoughtfully at her, he disappears like an apparition and the dragon returns.

"Well done" it says.

"Wait that wasn't real?" she asks.

"No but you passed Princess, however I have another trial for you"

"What is it?" she asks hesitantly she really had believed it was her uncle she had been scared out of her mind, she wasn't sure if she could go up against something like that again.

"I want you to choose" he says she turns with him back inside three pedestals are there, on one is a piece of parchment, on the second is a dagger and on the last pedestal is her anklet? Levy looks down to her ankle, when did she lose that?

"What are these meant to mean?" she asks walking up to them, she looks at the parchment first it was laid out like a contract, the dagger was ornamental but bloodstained and her anklet innocently lay in the centre of the third.

"The parchment is peace, you could go back, sign over your life to the Lord who choses you and make peace in this land, the dagger is war, the blood that will be spilt into the sands should you fight a war and your symbol of hope. Fairy Tail is a resistance bent on helping people, their powers are limited but their heart is strong, they use their bond to grow stronger together, their friendship is unbreakable they bring hope wherever they go. What will you chose Princess? Sign for peace, fight for war, or hold onto hope and friendship?"

"Is hope and friendship enough?" she asks sadly.

"That, is up to you" the dragon says, Levy closes her eyes, she could do it, beg her uncle's forgiveness, sign away her life and marry a lord. She could fight, overthrow her uncle perhaps and take over the throne by force but people would die. Her third option was much like Gramps had said, she could become a Princess this kingdom needed, someone that gives them hope, Levy would have the friendship of Fairy Tail and everyone in it. Levy thought of all the people she's met in Fairy Tail, the people in the towns she'd tried to feed with what little she had, could she really risk everything on hope? Levy took a deep breath and trusted herself, she took her anklet, returning it to her ankle.

"The choice is made" the dragon says, spiralling into smoke and disappearing.

"Now what?" she asks the empty cave.

"Drink from the falls" the dragon's voice echoed, Levy turned back to the opening, crawling back out, she jumps back into the pool bellow, just as the water turned red, Levy looks shocked up at the moon it had turned red!, Levy cups her hand in the falls and takes a drink of the water, she really didn't know if it did anything but the water was really nice and cool, the water turned back to normal as did the moon, Levy stayed in the water.

 _Had she passed? Failed? What was the red water meant to do? She met a dragon!_

Levy soaked in the water, wondering how long she could stay before she had to return and if Lucy would kill her.

"Woah sorry! I did not see you" a voice says, Levy turns her head to the shocked blond haired man who quickly turned around.

"Rouge stop, a lady bathing there" he says pushing the guy who had been following him, back and turning him around.

 _Rouge?_

Levy heard not the Lord surly?

 _Would that make the blond haired man Sting?_

Great she'd been found unintentionally.

"No I'm sorry" Levy says, getting out of the water, Levy didn't have anything to dry herself.

"Here" Sting throws a cloth over his shoulder, still not looking but he wasn't leaving either.

"Thank you" she says, drying herself and slipping on her dress.

"I'm decent" she says rather nervous, the two men turn back around, Sting looking her up and down in appreciation.

"What's a girl like you doing here alone?" he asks.

"I felt like going for a ride" she says with a light shrug, she needed to get out of here fast.

"And a late night dip?" Rouge questions.

"Why not?" she says with a smile.

"Why not?!" Sting echoes with a laugh, Levy steps past them going for the camel but trying not to seem like she was in a rush.

"So who are you?" Sting asks, following.

"I'm just a girl" she says throwing a smile over her shoulder, if she acted nice maybe they would let her go without fuss.

"Hmm well I'm just a guy then, my name is Sting" he says, Rouge following him, Levy saw a meerkat was on his shoulder. A meerkat!

"I'm Rouge" Rouge puts in.

"Nice to meet you, is that a meerkat?" she asks.

"Yep, Lector and that's Froshe" he points down a desert fox was walking next to Rouge.

"They're cute" Levy comments still trying to get away but they were following her closely.

"Yeah I guess, so mysterious, nameless, barefoot, girl where are you headed?"

"Would I still be mysterious if I told?"

"I guess not" Sting laughs, they escape the oasis to Levy's camel, Levy also sees they weren't alone, three others were seated on camels a distance away, Sting and Rouge must have jumped off to investigate her camel being here.

"I guess I'll say goodbye then, Sting, Rouge" she says.

"Wait you can't be running around the desert this late at night" Sting say gently touching her arm.

"You are" she comments.

"We're in a group you're alone" Rouge says.

"I'll be fine, my home's not far" she lies.

"Then let us escort you" Sting says.

"I thank you for your offer but, if there is one thing I do know it is not to run off with strangers" Sting shoots a grin.

"Well we're not that much of stranger's right?" he asks hopefully, Levy can't help but smile, he was charming.

"We insist, please" Rouge says, he was sweet, Levy decided.

"Again I thank you but…"

"What's this?" a new person interrupts, the three had dismounted their camels and come over, Levy had to hope they didn't recognise her.

"Zeref, this beautiful stranger was just heading home, I just wanted to make sure she got there safely" Sting says.

"We are on a bit of a deadline" Zeref reminds him but he looks to Levy, he was only a little taller than her, but he was a year or so older.

"It is nice to meet you anyway, I'm Lord Zeref of the Ivory City" he says with a bow, Levy stopped herself from automatically curtsying.

"I'm…honoured" she says stopping herself from saying her name.

"This is Jellal and my bodyguard Zancrow" Zeref introduces, Levy waves feeling crowded _Wasn't there two more?_

She remembers, Cobra and Lyon.

"It's nice to meet you honestly, but I need to go now" she say turning from them to untie her camel.

"I don't say this often but Sting's right, let us escort you" Zeref says.

"Hey" Sting says looking slightly offended.

"Where do you live?" Jellal asks, Levy bites her lip, she couldn't take them back to the caravan, she'd have to make something up.

"Magnolia" she answers.

"You're a fair way" Rouge says.

"It was day when I left" Levy defends even though it was a lie as well.

"Well lucky we're headed for the same place, let me help you up" Sting says, holding his hands out to give Levy a lift, Levy accepts the help and swings onto her camel.

"Alright" she has to agree there was no way they'd let her go alone, she'd have to lose them in Magnolia, Lucy was going to freak when she woke up!

* * *

 **I could have split this up into two chapters (this was originally also with the previous chapter until I split them) but I didn't so, Review what you think!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey all thanks for everything!**

Everything aside, Levy didn't mind the Lords company, Sting talked the most, Levy actually found him endearing.

"So what are you all doing in Magnolia?" she asks.

"Well have you heard what happened?"

"No sorry, Magnolia doesn't get news quickly" Levy says vaguely.

"Well the Princess was kidnapped by bandits" Sting says.

"Oh dear" she says hoping she had the right look of shock and horror on her face.

"Yeah so Zeref, Rouge and I with Zancrow and another bodyguard Cobra set out with Jellal and his partner Lyon to find who did it and return the Princess, we've been tracking them all the way here and we've hopefully now caught them in Magnolia"

"What makes you think they are there?" she asks.

"We caught some of their compatriots, they are with our other two companions" Zeref says.

"I see" Levy says and she did but she could only wonder who it was who was captured.

"So you'll return the Princess and then what?" Levy asks.

"Um" Sting suddenly falters.

"Well we're kind of, confusingly, almost betrothed?" he says.

"How so?" she asks confused along with him.

"Well um…Rouge help me out"

"We're her suitors" he says easily.

"So she will choose one of you to marry?" she asks.

"More or less" Zeref says, Levy swallows.

"And the bandits?" she asks making sure not to say their name, since they hadn't mentioned it.

"They'll be executed" Zancrow says with a laugh, shaking a jar with something in it.

"Getting off that topic, now you know us are you going to tell us who you are?" Sting asks bringing the mood around.

"Nope" she says with a smile Sting laughs enjoying the game but Levy wondered how much longer she could keep it up.

When they arrived at the outskirts of Magnolia, Levy gasped as the sun rose, she recognised the group that where tied up to spikes in a row, in the path of the sun, if they stayed there during the day they'd burn.

"Ah sorry, our companions seem to have found a way to keep our prisoners from escaping" Jellal says.

"Why have they done this?" she asks.

"It'll lure out their friends" Rouge says, Levy noticed he was not looking at the people on the spikes, Erza, Mira, Yukino, Hibiki and Jet all looked up at the approaching figures and their eyes widened seeing Levy. Sting helped her down again.

"We're here, so where do you live? I'll walk you" he says, Levy smiles fleetingly.

"That's not necessary, I'm close by, thank you for escorting me kind strangers, bye" she waves taking her camel with her she gives a sad look to the five held captive, Erza tells her with her eyes to get out and Levy walks quickly away.

"Hold up!" someone yelled, Levy turned, Cobra had appeared with Lyon, Cobra was looking at something on Levy, she looked down, her anklet was glaring in the sunlight and somehow Cobra had very good eyes and could see what was on it, the two of them locked eyes and Levy bolted.

"She's with Fairy Tail!" Cobra yelled racing after her, Zancrow on his heels, Levy ducked down a corner seeing Sting, Rouge and Jellal also chasing after her, Levy cursed herself for not getting rid of them sooner. She turns almost every corner she can before opening a random door and getting in, closing it after her she ducks down and prays they didn't see her. She hears them yelling, and Levy looks were she is, it's a storage house, Levy leaves the door and goes further in, ladders lead to a second floor and Levy climbed up ignoring the sting of her feet. She goes to a window taking care not to be seen, the five members of Fairy Tail can clearly be seen, Lyon was still standing guard, Zeref had also gone, Levy couldn't see the others searching so she hid in the corner, making herself as small as possible, she pulled a barrel in front of her to hide behind it and the hay that was stored.

Levy clearly heard the door being kicked open and she put her hand over her mouth to avoid making a sound.

"Come out little fairy" Zancrow crows.

"We're going to find you" he sings, kicking something over, Levy hears the boards creak under his weight.

"Is she here?" Rouge asks.

"I don't know yet" Zancrow says,

"I'll check upstairs" Rouge says, she hears him climbs up and Levy tries to not even breathe, she hears Rouge search and suddenly stop, his steps get closer, Levy tries to prepare herself as Rouge rips the barrel away exposing her, Levy grabs a fist full of hay and throws it at him, it distracts him enough for her to jump out the window! She lands on the roof glad it was still early morning so the tiles weren't burning her feet, she races across the roof top and jumps to the next building, she's seen by Sting who climbs up the side of one house to go after her, Zeref too spies the blunette girl and suddenly has a good idea who she really is. Sting practically tackles Levy on the roof and traps her under him.

"Let me go!" she screams.

"Can't do that sorry" he says, she could hear in his voice he truly was.

"How did someone like you ended up like this?" she asks, he looks down at her.

"I can ask you the same"

"I was born" Levy says, tears reaching her eyes, his mouth opens slightly.

"You're…Princess Levy" he realises, she nods mutely, he pulls her up and they stare at each other.

"Zeref was right…you are beautiful" is all he says, Rouge reaches them, seeing their odd stance, he throws a silent question at Sting.

"Rouge, meet Princess Levy" Sting says, Rouges eyes widen at her and he bows to her solemnly, Levy looks back to Sting.

"I will not be sold for gold" she says.

"You're not being sold" he says.

"Then tell me what you would call paying my uncle to marry me" she glares, Sting swallows he hadn't thought of it like that, Levy turns from him and lets herself down from the roof, Rouge and Sting go with her, they walk her back to the entrance of Magnolia, Zeref stands there, Cobra and Zancrow on either side of him a few steps back, Jellal and Lyon stood up the embankment with the captured Fairy Tail members.

"Princess Levy, it's an honour to meet you" Zeref says with a bow.

"Let Fairy Tail go" is all Levy says, Zeref's eyes crinkle.

"I'm afraid they kidnapped the Princess…"

"No they didn't I ordered them to make it look like I was kidnapped, so I wouldn't have to marry you or any lord"

"Levy don't!" Erza yells.

"I'll apologise to my uncle and amend my mistake, but Fairy Tail is to be left alone" Levy says, her head high.

"We will discuss this with the Sultan when we return" Zeref decides.

"Cut them loose" she says directly at Jellal.

"I don't know what my uncle is paying you but I'll double it, let them go" Lyon and Jellal look at each other and Jellal nods to Levy, he cuts Hibiki free.

"You can untie the others when we're gone, here's the key to the chains" Jellal says handing it over, Hibiki had fallen, who knows how long he had been standing and he had been roughed up.

"Princess Levy don't!" Jet called, she ignored him.

"Shall we go?" she asks, Zeref nods, Levy takes Sting's hand who was on his own camel and gets up behind them, Rouge gets on his own with Froshe and Lector, once everyone is on their camels, Levy looks back to her friends.

"Tell Lucy I'm sorry and to be safe" she calls to them, Mira nods crying, Levy turns back and holds on to Sting as he pushes them into a trot.

"You lied" he says so only she can hear.

"About?" she questions she'd lost count of her lies.

"You didn't organise for yourself to be taken to avoid us, they did kidnap you"

"My uncle will kill them if he believes that, he may still but I've given them a few days to disappear"

"What were you really doing at that oasis?" he asks.

"Chasing a dream" she says, she lay her head on his back and held on as they thundered through the desert back to the palace.

 **Hope you liked this Review and Follow!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thank you people who are reviewing it's such a shock and burst of happiness whenever I get them, I always take your ideas to heart so you never know what may happen :)**

 **Next chapter up enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy raced to their friends, Hibiki had just managed to get the last of the chains off Erza.

"What happened?!" she demands.

"We were captured, they calculated out trajectory and paraded us to be bait to lure out Fairy Tail" Erza says.

"More importantly what happen with you? How did Princess Levy get captured by the Lords?" Yukino asks.

"We have no idea, she stole one of the camels and disappeared last night, we came right here when we realised"

"Well she showed up with the Lords already, but they were acting as if they were escorting her home and then Cobra saw her anklet and thought she was a member of Fairy Tail, she ran but they caught her, she negotiated for our freedom, she told them she got us to make it look like she was kidnapped instead of her running away from marrying the Lords" Jet says.

"Her uncle will kill her!" Lucy cries, Natsu hugs her to keep her from falling.

"She kept us alive, and she's giving us time to disappear, the Sultan won't care what she says, he'll still order our deaths" Mira says, Wendy cried, Gajeel and Laxus stewed but Gray was silently thinking, the other caravans of Fairy Tail arrived one by one and each where explained the situation.

"What do we do Gramps?" Lisanna asked, Gramps and Mavis shared a look.

"I wish I knew child" he says honesty.

"I know what I'm doing" Gray says, they turn to him.

"What?" Lucy asks.

"I'm going to the palace, I swore to follow her, so if she's there so am I" he says.

"I'm with frostbite" Gajeel agrees.

"Then I'm going too!" Lucy says.

"I'm with her" Natsu says.

"We owe her a debt" Erza agrees.

"Count me in" Mira says.

"Yep" Yukino agrees, Gramps and Mavis watch as everyone agrees to go, they look at each other.

"I wouldn't mind going too" Mavis says with a smile, Gramps shakes his head.

"Alright you brats, let's go make sure our Princess is safe"

"Aye Sir!" they yelled.

"Anyway, Levy left Lily" Romeo says patting the panthers head he looked sad without Levy.

"Well we can't have that" Laxus says with a smile, he put Lily up on his camel and jumped up after him.

"The caravan's aren't going to be able to keep up with us!" Freed says.

"Warren you and your team stay with the caravans, follow at a safe pace understood?" Gramps orders Warren, Max, Laki and Nab agree.

"To the capital!" Gramps yells, Fairy Tail echo his cry and they race towards their goal, it would take days but they would do it.

* * *

Levy jumped down on her own when they reached the Palace days later, she marched herself up the stairs the men having to scurry after her, the guards opened the door for her as they always did and she walked into the throne room. Her uncle was on the throne, the adviser who he had been talking to was dismissed as soon as he noticed, everyone was dismissed except for the three lords, two body guards and two bounty hunters who remained in the centre of the room. Levy stopped a few metres from the throne, her uncle got off the throne and approached her, she knew his hit was coming he slapped her hard across the cheek it echoed in the hall, Levy turned her head back and waited.

"You bitch!" he yelled.

"Uncle" she says curtsying to him, he sneers.

"Don't give me that, do you have any idea the trouble you've caused?!"

"I take full responsibility for any trouble I've caused" she says keeping her curtsy in place it was painful but she did it.

"I know you will" he says pacing in front of her.

"We'll start with those bandits, I want them executed!" Levy stands again.

"They are not at fault uncle, I ordered them to make it seem like I was kidnapped, I did it so I would not be forced to marry the Lords you wanted me too, please do not punish them for being misguided" Levy felt it a lot more when he slapped her again, it was almost a punch but Levy forced herself not to cry or make a noise.

"Don't lie to me! You have no such connections!"

"My servant was a member of Fairy Tail, Jellal and Lyon can corroborate this" the Sultan looks over at the bounty hunters.

"It's true she was a member" Jellal confirms, the sultan seems thoughtful.

"And what did you give these bandits in order for them to do as you asked?" the Sultan demands.

"A small sack of gold, stolen from you" she says, his eyes narrow again.

"So you stole from me too"

"Yes, my lord" she says not willing to call him uncle again, it would not appease him, she kept her eyes down. He goes back to pacing in front of her thoughtfully.

"Why did you run? Was it just to escape the marriage?" he asks, Levy had to be careful unsure if he was believing her or not.

"Since I had no other use as a Princess I wanted to leave, do something else with my life" she says.

"Was my keeping you alive not enough?" he hisses.

"I apologise for my selfishness" she says, he was pacing again, behind the princess, Rouge had a firm grip on Stings arm to keep him from defending the Princess, Lyon was the same for Jellal, Zeref wasn't sure how to feel but he didn't like the Sultan mishandling the Princess so.

"Lucky for you I still need you alive" the Sultan says out loud.

"You are going to marry one of those Lords, perhaps tomorrow, I don't care and then I want you out of my palace!"

"Whatever you wish my lord" she says softly, he nods approving.

"Until tomorrow then, I want you locked in your room, I want your chain reattached and no food!" he orders, two guards re-enter the throne room and a man comes up to the Princess, he gently leads her away, Levy does not look to at anyone as she leaves.

She is put in her room, a new chain attacked, the man who escorted her was kind, being gentle with chaining her, even making sure it was on her other ankle so she could still have her anklet.

"Thank you" she says, he bows to her.

"I am not permitted to bring food, but I shall bring you something to drink" he say, Levy nods seeing the cross scar on his cheek she wondered what happened to him.

"What's your name?" she asks.

"My name is Mest Dorenbolt your highness" he says with another bow.

"Nice to meet you" she says, he half smiles at her before leaving. Levy sat on her bed and touched her cheek it was red from being hit so hard and it stung, Levy leaned back on her bed, it felt so strange to her now even though she was only gone a short time, she thought of her friends and Lily and she struggled not to cry.

* * *

 **Did you guess who the Spy was? Review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**New chapter :)**

* * *

Sting, Rouge and Zeref stood in the hall with the king, Zancrow and Cobra by the door, Jellal and Lyon had been paid and left, they didn't mention the double payment the princess had promised them.

"So you've met my darling niece" he says with a false smile.

"Somehow I don't think you cherish her much" Rouge says.

"We may have slight, family issues but we are still blood, yes?"

"I guess" Zeref admits.

"Good now which one of you has decided to marry my niece?"

"We haven't discussed it" Sting says.

"Well I'd urge you too, I am planning the wedding tomorrow, one of you better be standing there"

"One of us will" Zeref assures him the Sultan smiles and nods going back to doing something they leave and head to a room they'd been given to stay the night, Sting's specifically.

"I hate that man" Rouge growls.

"I do too" Zeref says which was surprising for him, he didn't tend to love or hate anything.

"I can't believe we're having this conversation now" Sting says shaking his head.

"One of us has to marry her, if only to get her away from that man" Rouge says, the other two nod.

"So who's it going to be?" Zeref asks.

* * *

Levy was dressed up as a bride the next day, Mest came to escort her.

"You're him aren't you?" Levy says, Mest looks at her.

"Him who?"

"Fairy Tail's spy, I was told you were here"

"What makes you think I am him?" he asks, not denying it.

"You're kind, all the members of Fairy Tail are kind"

"I'm not sure you can count Gajeel as kind" he says, Levy smiles and he smiles back.

"I can't get you out, I'm sorry"

"Its fine but you shouldn't stick around, leave when you can" she says, he nods.

"Believe it or not I have a small idea of what you're going through"

"How?" she asks.

"Well I'm betrothed" he says with a smile.

"That's wonderful" she says with a smile, he nods.

"Yeah, she's younger than me, but she made me promise I'd marry her one day when I took this job…incentive to come back in one piece" he says with a laugh.

"Is she from Fairy Tail?" she asks, he nods.

"Wendy"

"Wendy?!" she says remembering the small fifteen year old girl who looked much younger, she looked to Mest he was only eighteen maybe nineteen.

"Yep, I've loved her for years, and I'll wait for whenever she wants" Levy smiles, there where so many couples in Fairy Tail, she thought back to Laxus and Gajeel even Gray how nice they were to her, could she ever find such happiness?

"I'm sorry Princess, but we have to go" Mest says, Levy nods and takes his arm, he'd unlocked her chain and Levy swore she would never be chained again, she tried to breathe evenly as they approached.

"Do you know which one?" she asks, he nods.

"Don't tell me I'm too scared" she decides he nods again holding her hand as they walk, they enter the hall and Levy seals away her fears and looks up.

* * *

Laxus stared out toward the capital that stretched on the horizon, Lucy stood with him.

"We'll get there, but we can't charge the palace" she says, he nods, Levy cold have only been brought back since yesterday so they weren't far behind, they hear bells tolling.

"There must be a wedding" Lucy says.

"I wish them luck" Laxus says, turning back to Gramps and Mavis staring down at a map of the capital.

"Our spy Mest can probably get us in but the security will be all different, people are going to get hurt" Mavis says studying the map.

"Then we shouldn't attack" Gajeel says.

"Sneaking can only get us so far" Gray says.

"He's right and then what? Leave with her again only to be hunted down again?" Lucy asks.

"We need a better plan" Natsu says.

"We need a smaller group" Laxus says.

"Hey!" Cana pants rushing up to them, coming from the town.

"So I heard, the Princess is leaving for the Ivory City tomorrow!"

"Really?" Mavis asks.

"Yep, not clear why probably to marry the lords, they all come from there, but yeah they are planning to leave tomorrow"

"We could attack them on the road!" Erza says.

"But still we're plagued with and then what?" Mira says.

"We'll let the Princess decide" Gramps says.

"Are you sure?" Gildarts asks.

"Yes, I trust that girls instincts, she's kind hearted, she'll make the right choice"

"Why did she disappear in the first place?" Juvia asks.

"I think that may have been my fault" Natsu admits, Lucy looks at him surprised.

"How?"

"Well I told her the story of the Fire Falls, it think she took it to heart"

"What Fire Falls?" Freed asks.

"It's a story about an oasis and Dragons, granting a wish if you complete these trials"

"I've heard of this" Freed recalls.

"In a book I gave her" he remises.

"She said something to me about wondering if I believed in some legends, I said yes, she was reading your books when she asked" Laxus remembers.

"She had that book out when she questioned Natsu" Gray recalls.

"Maybe she had a reason to think it wasn't a legend?" Wendy wonders.

"Perhaps, we'll have to ask when we see her" Lucy says.

"Good, we have until tomorrow, lets plan this ambush" Mavis says, hunkering down.

* * *

 **Fairy Tail has no idea they'll be too late as they plan an ambush to save Princess Levy!**

 **So who do you think will be standing at the end of the aisle?**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26! So sorry I'm late but Assignments! Assignments everywhere! The next week I doubt I will be able to post anything I'm sorry but then Uni is over for the year and I should be able to focus on writing.**

* * *

"Are you feeling okay Princess?" Rouge asks Levy, Levy was seated as far from her uncle as she could be while still being in the great hall, guests who names she had no idea off milled around, some dancing to the musicians who played, while Levy just felt unwell, she'd just signed herself away and she felt awful.

"I'm fine" she says unbelievingly, Rouge looks at her in sympathy looking over to her new husband who was trying to drown himself at the bar, Rouge sits next to Levy, gaining her attention.

"Princess, I've known Sting since I was five and Zeref since I was thirteen we've been friends for a long time, we know more about each other than anyone else even Cobra and Zancrow who have followed Zeref for years. I promise you, he's not going to hurt you, I swear it on my own life" he tells her passionately, Froshe his desert fox sat at Levy's feet nuzzling her leg.

"Thank you" she says with a small smile. Rogue sits with her watching the crowd as the sultan's voice gets louder and louder the more he drinks, they sit there silently even with Levy being the bride no one approaches to wrapped up in their own worlds, it was the first time Rouge had ever felt unhappy about being born privileged because right here, right now he could see nothing but the greed and fake beauty that surrounded these people and like Princess Levy he felt sick.

* * *

"What's wrong Gray?" Natsu asks the silent shirtless man who was staring at the palace.

"Something's wrong" he answers without looking at Natsu.

"Yeah, I had the same feeling, but we have a plan for tomorrow…"

"Somethings wrong now" Gray says looking to Natsu the pinkette nods in understanding.

"Should we bust in?"

"You can't they'd recognise you, me however they couldn't know who I am"

"You can't go alone" Natsu says.

"The less people there are, the less likely I'll be caught" he argues.

"Juvia will go too" both men jump at the girl's sudden appearance next to them.

"Jeez, Juvia you gave me a heart attack!" Natsu complains holding his chest.

"Juvia is sorry" she says in the same melancholy tone.

"Are you sure?" Gray asks.

"Juvia will have your back" she assures him, Gray nods.

"Alright then, we're sneaking in now, the suns setting it'll be easier for us to get in unnoticed hopefully"

"What should I do?" Natsu asks.

"Cover for us" Gray slapping him on the shoulder.

"Lucy's going to kill me" Natsu groans, Gray grins and with Juvia on his six they start running for the city.

* * *

"Sting you've had enough stop" Rouges hard voice filters through Sting's brain, he looks up from his chair.

"Whhhhyyy youu beein' a spppoilllllll spooorrt?!" he asks drunkenly.

"IIIII just gotttt *hiccup* marrrrieddd! Comme onnn you'reee my besssst mannnn!"

"Sting you're making a fool of yourself and that also means a fool of the Princess, she deserves better than that on her wedding day" Rouge says stiffly, Sting banged his glass down on the table.

"Finnee thenn, we'lll go, is that what you want?" Rouge glared at his best friend when his voice got better he had the idea he wasn't as drunk as he was acting, though he had drunk a lot, Sting could hold his liquor much better than himself.

"Personally I'd love to go back to the Ivory City tonight but we can't until tomorrow, so we're stuck here so be a gentleman and take the princess out of here before the sultan does something stupid like demand a bedding" Sting paled and stumbled to his feet, Zeref was playing chess in a corner with people Sting didn't recognise, Zancrow and Cobra with him.

"'Kay, I'm going, say goodnight to Z for me"

"Will do" Rouge says, Sting finishes the last of his drink ignoring the look from Rouge. He walks over to the Princess who was staring mutely down at her bare feet, he'd really come to recognise her as the barefoot princess, trying to smile even though his stomach was lurching, he cleared his throat to get her attention, she looked up at him and Sting was pinned by her gaze.

"Why don't we get out of here?" he asks, she nods her head and accepts his hand to leave, they manage to leave without the sultan seeing, Lector, Stings meerkat followed behind them.

Sting has to steer them towards the room prepared for them tonight, Levy enters first the room was lit up by candles, Sting reluctantly followed her in closing the door, Levy went to the window and looked out, it was larger than the one in her room, but it wasn't as high up from the ground.

"I'm sorry" Sting says, taking a seat on a lounge chair, Levy looks to him, the sun had set a few hours ago and the moon was slowly rising in the sky.

"For what exactly?" she asks sharply, he winced despite himself.

"For finding you at that oasis, for chasing you in Magnoila, forcing you to come back here, not protecting you from the sultan, for volunteering to marry you, for marrying you…I'm just sorry for everything, I'm sorry I even left my home to come here, I don't know what I was thinking, being in the running to marry a princess! It meant nothing to me, but you…you're nothing like I thought a princess would be. You're strong, defiant, kind, beautiful…I know who I am Princess and never in my life would I deserve someone like you" Levy was shocked at his words, never had anyone said anything like that to her she didn't know how to respond.

"I'm not that special" she finds herself saying.

"I've bene a prisoner in this palace my whole life, I finally got out and saw what the world really was like and ruined everything by acting foolishly, I don't deserve your praise Lord Sting, I failed" Sting wanted nothing more in the world to go to her and hug her but he also didn't want to freak her out any more than she was, so he stayed where he was.

"Since we're married now, I guess I'm a Prince, but I promise you Princess Levy I will never touch you without your permission, I don't care what anyone says, I'll protect you" Levy looks at him her blue eyes swimming, she nods once and goes back to the window, sitting on the lounge under it she stared out the window…and that's how they stayed for the remainder of the night.

* * *

 **Oh my darling Levy! I hate myself for what I'm putting you through I'm sorry! *cries***

 **I'll be back soon with more chapters just have to get through this week.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Long delay I know I'm sorry but exams are over I'm done! Until next year… :(**

 **Okay let's see what's going to happen.**

* * *

Grey and Juvia turned another corner in the underground passage.

"Grey, Juvia thinks we are lost"

"I can't argue with that…I don't think anyone even knows about these passages!"

"Juvia agrees, we would have used these tunnels before had we known" Grey sighs waving his torch around the flames licking at the air as it burned, they had come to another fork.

"At least so far there hasn't been many traps" Grey says as a bit of a joke, Juvia laughs. That was a lie, there had been a new trap every five minutes they'd been down here, spike pits, ancient arrow traps, falling false floors, poison darts shot from stone statues, even a snake pit.

"Juvia recalls someone saying the sultan had a secret underground vault, do you think it is down here?" Juvia asks Grey a couple of minutes later.

"Perhaps, it makes sense all these traps have to protect something"

"What do you think is inside?"

"Well Freed said a lot of old texts had been rounded up and put inside, but I'd bet there would be a treasure trove inside too and who knows what else?" they continue as best they can in the labyrinth of tunnels and traps, after almost being burned alive by yet another trap they come across a large chamber.

"Grey look!" Juvia calls pointing.

"I see it" Grey says, they approach the huge doors which were locked by some kind of odd lock mechanism in a script Grey couldn't identify.

"I bet Princess Levy could read this" he says brushing off some of the dust.

"Do you think this is the vault?" Juvia asks in wonder.

"Well it better not be the exit or we are screwed"

* * *

Urgent tapping cause Levy and Sting to look at the door, Sting gets up and answers it, Rogue pushes in and slams the door shut.

"The Sultans coming now to check you consummated the marriage!" Rouge says urgently, Levy's jaw drops and Sting curses.

"Mess up the bed and make it look like you just put your clothes on!" Rouge says, Levy jumps on the bed and rips the sheets into a tangled mess to look slept in, the sheets mostly on the ground, Sting takes off his shirt, shoes, socks and pants leaving his underwear, Levy turning from them takes off her dress, wrapping herself in the sheet and lying on one side of the bed, mused her hair and tried to slow her heart rate enough to act asleep. Rouge ruffled Sting's hair so it looked like he had bed hair and threw his clothes into a more chaos disarray. They heard voices coming, Rouge hid in the wardrobe with Froshe, Sting closing the door just as the sultan walked in uninvited, Zeref who had obviously been trying to distract him followed after, Levy was doing a good job of acting asleep.

"Is something wrong my lord?" Sting asks, one hand on his hip, his other arm leaning on the wardrobe, the sultan looked around the room but didn't seem to find anything amiss.

"It appears not, I was a bit too intoxicated last night to tell you but congratulations on wedding my niece"

"It's a great honour sir" Sting says, Zeref give him a warning look and Sting knows what was coming next wouldn't be good.

"Not that I don't trust you _Prince Sting_ but I haven't gotten to where I am by trusting easily, I want to check the bed"

"Princess Levy is still asleep" Sting says, knowing exactly what he wants to look for, Levy turns what appears to be peacefully in her sleep.

"Then wake her or I will" the sultan says dangerously low, Sting bits his tongue not missing the guards that stood outside. Sting was cursing internally, if the sultan found out he hadn't slept with Levy he'd demand a bedding, which was the consummation of marriage with witnesses, an archaic tradition not used by upper-class citizens in generations. The feeling of foreboding fell on his shoulders as he gently roused Levy, who sleepily opened her eyes, Levy noticed her uncle and jumped up in shock into the wall, pulling the sheets with her the red smear on the bed missed no one's eyes.

"Uncle! I'm sorry I'd have dressed!" Levy says looking all the while completely innocent, while she covered herself. The sultan narrowed his eyes but shrugged.

"Unnecessary girl, I've seen what I needed, still while I did demand you leave today, I want you all to stick around a little longer a new business venture has popped up and I'd like you, Lord Zeref's assistance"

"I'd be more than glad to help my lord" Zeref bows, the sultan sniffs indifferently and waltzes out of the room, Zeref has to follow but he closes the door after him.

Levy's legs give out and she falls to the floor.

"Oh god"

"Are you okay?!" Sting asks, Rouge comes out of the wardrobe and sees the mark on the sheet, his first look is to Sting but then to Levy who shows the cut to her finger, she'd used her anklet charm when she rolled to dig into her finger until she drew blood and wiped it on the sheet.

"You shouldn't have had to do that" Sting apologises.

"How did you know to do that?" Rouge asks in the next second, Levy smiles.

"I read a lot" Sting actually blushes as Levy grabs her dress and goes behind the changing shade.

"Thanks for the warning" Sting says to Rouge who nods.

"Don't worry about it" the door opens just then and a black haired man and a blue haired women enter without knocking, they see the lords.

"Excuse me what are you doing?" Sting asks, the black haired man sees the bed and the mark and before Sting can defend himself he's decked by the young man. Sting hits the floor painfully, Levy rushes out, pulling her dress down.

"Grey? Juvia?" she says surprised, Grey was about to go for Rouge a furious expression on his face as Levy understands what it looks like.

"No Grey stop!" Levy says before he hits Rouge.

"It isn't what it looks like!"

"It looks like these men viciously harmed you" Juvia says glaring and ready to attack as Sting gets back up with a bloody nose, Levy feels horrible and grabs a handkerchief holding it to his nose.

"No it looks like how we wanted my uncle to think it should look after my wedding" Levy says, Grey and Juvia look shocked.

"You were married?" she asks.

"Yes, to Sting here, don't worry he hasn't harmed me I cut myself so my uncle believed…"

"I get it" Grey says holding his hands up.

"Princess you should know all of Fairy Tail is waiting outside of the town to ambush you when you leave today"

"One why? Two we're not leaving today and three how did you get here?"

"Because we believe you to be held prisoner by these lords, why aren't you leaving? Through the underground tunnels" Juvia answers.

"I'm not really anymore they're trying to help, my uncle has some kind of business he wants Zeref's help with and what underground tunnels?" Levy asks.

"Okay stop with the three point discussion!" Rouge says.

"Start from the beginning" he continues to Grey as he closes the door.

* * *

 **I loved all of this chapter it was fun, new chapter out soon!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Back again, talk about a complicated situation for my precious Levy who knows what's going to happen?! Since even I don't know one does! Hahahahahahahahaha. I'm thirsty I need a Dare.**

* * *

"So what do you want to do?" Grey asks once everyone understands what is going on.

"Why are you asking me?" Levy asks with a slight pout she was sitting under the window where she had sat all of last night, she really should have gotten some sleep. Juvia was next to her Grey, Rouge and Sting were standing, Sting's nose had stopped bleeding and he had cleaned himself up and put his clothes back on.

"Because it was the decision of Fairy Tail to do whatever you told us too and I already told you…no matter what I'm following you" Grey says seriously, Levy lightly sighs.

"Are we sure these lords are trust worthy? They did kidnap Princess Levy" Juvia reminds them.

"We didn't know…"

"It's complicated…"

"I trust them" Levy interrupts, Sting and Rouge look surprised.

"Why?" Grey asks.

"Because I got the same feeling from them that I got when I entered Fairy Tail that you are trust worthy"

"Thank you" Rouge says with a bow.

"I should be thanking you if you hadn't warned us…" Rouge shake his head.

"Think nothing of it"

"I am sorry for tackling you" Sting says vaguely, Levy laughs.

"It's alright I'm really not used to running" Levy says with a wide smile and a shrug, Sting matches hers.

"Okay next topic, why did you leave the camp?" Grey asks all eyes return to her.

"I found it"

"Found what?" Rouge asks.

"The Fire Falls, that oasis you found me in, I met the dragon and past the tests"

"You met a dragon?!"

"The Fire Falls exist?!"

"What tests?" questions flood her and Levy holds up her hand for them to stop.

"Freed let me borrow two books in Ancient Fiorian the first was on the early settlers of Fiore and down to where we are now, the second was full of myths and legends only they aren't completely myths. Comparing the two books I found a story that overlapped and so I figured maybe another such story might be true too, I don't' know why but…I just knew! I only meant to be gone for a short time but I found the oasis, found a secret cave and met the dragon. He told me if I was worthy I had to pass the tests though honestly he never did tell me if I passed. The first test was an apparition of my uncle only when I stood up to him did he disappear, the second was a choice I had to choose between a parchment, a sword and my anklet" Levy says showing her ankle.

"The parchment symbolised giving up and the land returning to peace, I'd marry one of the lords and no longer be a threat to my uncle. The second the sword was to fight, people would die no matter who won and maybe we'd win and I'd be queen but at what cost? Third my anklet was a symbol not only for Fairy Tail but of hope and friendship, the bonds of people coming together to do what they believe is right and spread hope where there isn't any. I've been to the villages now, not many, not nearly enough of my kingdom I even know of and I want to, I want to help people stop starving in the streets, passed over as a common sight, it is wrong!" Levy implores.

"I chose my anklet I chose hope and friendship because in the end it's far better to die for that"

"What happened then?" Juvia asks quietly.

"The dragon told me to drink from the falls, the moon turned red and the water with it, I had a mouthful and it turned back to normal…that's when Sting found me"

"We saw the red moon and because of it we noticed the oasis and your camel, its why we came…we probably would have gone right past otherwise" Sting remembers.

"Then maybe you were meant to find me" Levy says thoughtfully.

"I don't know, I really don't but…I want to go to the vault, Grey can you get me there?" Grey nods.

"Are you sure about this? There's traps and what if the sultan sees you?" Sting asks.

"What's he going to do? I'm married now he has no reason to contain me" Levy reasons, Sting swallows and looks to Rouge.

"We can't both disappear, I'm the new prince I'll be missed, you are less likely to be" Sting says, Levy nods.

"Can you do me a favour then? Find Mest he's a guard here and a ' _inside man'_ can you find him and keep him close? If we leave he needs to come too" Sting nods.

"When should we reconvene?" Rouge asks petting Froshe.

"Soon my absence will eventually be noted, we need to tell Fairy Tail to halt the ambush they might be captured or seen as they are"

"Juvia will warn them" Juvia volunteers.

"Okay then, Grey and I will go to the vault, be careful everyone" Levy says going for the door, Sting stops Grey from following.

"While I swore to her I wouldn't hurt her or touch her without permission, don't forget we are married and I don't mind hurting you" he warns softly.

"Feelings mutual" Grey growls shouldering past after Levy, Juvia disappears behind them.

"Wow Sting you've got it bad" Rouge grins.

"Shut up and let's go entertain the frickin sultan" Sting mutters Lecter at his feet, Rouge follows with Froshe closing the door.

* * *

 **Another chapter hopefully soon what exactly lies under the palace?**

 **Update: I got a Dare :) (Iced Coffee for people who don't have a clue what I mean).**


End file.
